Week of June 8
Due to the current global pandemic and nationwide protests, news about gender-neutrality was minimal. Articles about gender-neutral parenting were highly featured this week. A couple articles featured the popular baby names parents have been picking during the pandemic, with gender-neutral options such as Hero or Avery being mentioned. Even articles about baby names that specified a gender included gender-neutral names. One article discussed children’s gender identity and the importance of gender-neutral chores so that tasks are not associated with a particular gender.
Gender-neutral brands and fashion were other topics discussed this week. An article that highlighted LGBTQ+ friendly brands for Pride Month mentioned a gender-neutral underwear brand that donated over $100,000 to LGBTQ+ organizations. Another article discussed how gender-neutral marketing and advertising is important for brands and businesses when trying to target younger generations. This proved to be true since articles about children’s bedding and fragrances included gender-neutral options. Several articles mentioned the opening of London’s online gender-neutral Fashion Week.
Gender-neutral policies were highly discussed topics in the news this week. Several articles discussed the recent statements made by nonbinary actor, Asia Kate Dillon. They are currently advocating for the SAG Awards to change their award categories from gender specific to gender neutral. Dillon stated,
“Separating people based on their assigned sex, and/or their gender identity, is not only irrelevant when it comes to how an acting performance should be judged, it is also a form of discrimination. Not only do your current categories erase non-binary identities… they also serve as an endorsement of the gender binary at large, which actively upholds other forms of discrimination, including racism, the patriarchy, and gender violence.”
Meanwhile, Residents of Stoughton, Massachusetts recently voted to change their city’s charter from gendered pronouns to gender-neutral ones. Other residents of Massachusetts in North Andover are trying to change the name of their “Board of Selectmen” to “Select Board”. However, Justice Hima Kohli of the Delhi High Court in India recently stated that there was no need for gender-neutral laws for domestic violence, since it is not an issue for men.
JK Rowling created controversy this week when she became upset at the use of gender-neutral language around menstruation. While some articles supported JK Rowling’s opinions, others used it as an opportunity to highlight misunderstandings about trans identities. One article outlined the long history of how colonialism is tied to transphobia.