Move over Mr, Ms and Mrs: Ungender now allows titles like Ind for Individual and Pr for Person

These brilliant gender-neutral titles ensure you no longer have to worry about ‘fitting in’

On March 31 this year, a day celebrated as Transgender Day of Visibility, HSBC Bank announced that they would now offer their UK customers 10 new gender-neutral titles. So apart from the traditional Mr, Ms and Mrs, there would be Mx, Misc, Mre and more. In a video, Stuart Barette, the trans lead of HSBC’s Pride network, spoke about his own experience of updating his name and gender and the importance of having choices.

Today, the discourse around gender neutrality is going strong, with several establishments around the world taking change-inducing initiatives

In fact, it’s not just the banking sector that’s batting for greater inclusivity. Emojis, one of the most popular means of modern expression, are set to have gender-neutral versions of children and adults, starting this June. As we celebrate the diversity, here’s a primer of some gender-neutral titles...

Ind.

This one was instituted as a title that’s completely free of all implications of gender. Ind stands for individual and is the preferred choice of agender or non-binary people.

Misc.

Short for miscellaneous, this one is popular with individuals who could be experiencing different aspects of gender at different times.

Mx.

Pronounced as mix, this is a prefix most commonly used by transgenders and others who do not wish to disclose their gender. While its origins date back to the ’70s, in India, Nalsar University of Law, Hyderabad, granted its first gender-neutral graduation certificate to a student in 2015.

Pr.

Pronounced per, short for person, this one’s as simple and as gender non-conforming as it could get.

Mre.

An abbreviation for mystery, the honorific was one of the 10 adopted by HSBC, keeping in mind that many would not want their identity to be defined by the construct of gender.

Msr.

A combination of Miss and Sir, the honorific covers the whole spectrum, including transgenders and intersex people.

From HT Brunch, April 16, 2017

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