Miley Cyrus, Ruby Rose, Eliot Sumner – last year a number of celebrities and public figures challenged perceptions by saying they don’t identify as male or female but see their gender as fluid.
They are not alone. Young people are increasingly questioning gender norms – half of the US millennials surveyed by Fusion agree gender isn’t limited to male and female and in a similar report by the Intelligence Group, 60% said gender lines have been blurred.
Companies are coming to terms with these changes: OkCupid and Facebook now offer custom gender identities to include a variety of options such as “androgynous”, and the gender-neutral title Mx is available on UK government forms and bank forms. In the US some universities now accept gender-neutral pronouns – allowing students to be called “they” rather than “he” or “she”.
So, what do you think? Is generation Y redefining gender? Is this purely a western cultural phenomenon? Do you feel that your own gender is fluid? Are you transgender? Or do you sometimes feel the definition of the opposite gender fits you better?
We are looking for a global picture on this, so let us know by filling out the form below and we’ll publish a selection of your responses.
