Answer
Thank you for your question. This is great news that your young person has come out to you. This is likely something they have known and been thinking about for a long time. It may be a real relief to your child that they have finally shared their identity with you.
In the western world, we are familiar with the idea of a gender binary. Binary means two, and that is woman and man in this case. This is a rigid way to view gender identity. Some people don’t neatly fit into these binary categories. Some people identify with multiple genders while others don’t identify with any particular gender. Non-binary people are those whose gender identity doesn’t fit within the binary gender categories. Non-binary identities are nothing new. They have been recognised for millennia by cultures and societies around the world.
A person whose gender does not fall within this gender binary may use different terms to describe themselves, with non-binary being one of the most common. Other terms include genderqueer, agender, genderfluid among others. None of these terms mean exactly the same thing, but all are an experience of gender that is not simply ‘man’ or ‘woman’.
Your young person will have their own idea of what the word non-binary means for them, so it is important to ask them what it means for them and how you can best support them. They may ask you to use they/them pronouns or they may not.
If you have more questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our Family Support Service.
Thanks,
Jen.