Mx (title)

''Mx'' () is an English-language neologistic honorific that does not indicate gender. Created as an alternative to gendered honorifics (such as '' Mr.'' and ''Ms.'') in the late 1970s, it is the most common gender-neutral title among non-binary people and people who do not wish to imply a gender in their titles.

Etymology

The word was first proposed in the late 1970s. The ''x'' is intended to stand as a wildcard character, and does not necessarily imply a "mixed" gender.

Usage

In 2013, Brighton and Hove City Council in Sussex, England, voted to allow the use of ''Mx'' on council forms, and in 2014 the Royal Bank of Scotland included the title as an option for customers. In 2015, recognition spread more broadly across UK institutions, including the Royal Mail, government agencies responsible for documents such as driving licences, most major banks, several other companies, and UK charity Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.

The title is now accepted by the Department for Work and Pensions, HM Revenue and Customs, the National Health Service and many councils, universities, insurance companies and utility retailers in the United Kingdom. The House of Commons of the United Kingdom confirmed in 2015 that it would accept the use of ''Mx'' by MPs.

In 2015, ''Mx'' was included in a ''New York Times'' article about Bluestockings. Its casual usage in the paper was picked up by popular news sites and blogs. ''The Times'' standards editor Phil Corbett later responded to the usage of the title. Later the same year, ''Mx'' was included in the ''Oxford English Dictionary''. In 2016, Metro Bank became the first bank in the United Kingdom to offer ''Mx'' on its forms (though other banks had amended records to Mx on request prior to this). In 2017, banks of the HSBC Group announced the addition of ''Mx'' alongside several other gender-neutral titles as options for their customers. HSBC's 30 March announcement coincided with the International Transgender Day of Visibility, celebrated the following day.

In December 2020, the Provincial Court of British Columbia, Canada issued guidance to lawyers and litigants about court introductions, calling for court participants, when introducing themselves, to state the pronouns and courtesy title that should be used for them. "Mx." was one of the titles that participants were invited to use.

In March 2021, Oscar Davies, a non-binary barrister from the United Kingdom, became the first person to use ''Mx'' (instead of ''Mr''/''Ms'') on the board of their chambers.

Although ''Mx'' remains uncommon in the United States, in April 2016 it was added to the ''Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary''.

Indian airlines Vistara and AirAsia India, both Tata Group companies, added ''Mx'' as a third option for passengers booking flights from June 2022.

In 2025, Donald Trump ordered federal agencies in the USA to limit or avoid a lot of words and expressions, ''Mx'' included.

Pronunciation

An informal study in 2023 found that 68% of 2,426 participants worldwide who use the title pronounced it , while 24% pronounced it . ''Mixter'' is sometimes treated as a long form of the title (like ''Mister'' is of ''Mr'').

See also

*
* Gender neutrality in English
* Include Mx
* Latinx

References

Further reading

*

{{Social titles

1970s neologisms
Gender-neutral language
Honorifics
LGBTQ rights in the United Kingdom
Non-binary gender