How you address non-binary characters matters
Non-binary peoples’ day was July 14th. The subject of people who identify as gender non-binary has been rather prominent of late because some people don’t understand.
I am no expert, as I identify my gender with my sex (cisgender male). However, the long and short of it is this – whatever sex organs you were born with, the gender you identify yourself with is a choice. Some people do not identify with the gender tied to their sex organs. Among them, some people identify as neither male nor female – thus, non-binary.
How does this impact my life or yours if you identify as cisgender male or female? It doesn’t. Plain and simple.
Despite arguments that this is more prominent than it used to be – I would counter that it’s not – but our ability to connect instantly across the globe is drastically different.
I write sci-fi and fantasy. In both my current ongoing sci-fi and sci-fantasy works I include gender non-binary characters.
Because of the way my stories differ, my approach to non-binary characters differs. But in both instances, always naming characters is inefficient and impractical. Which means I need to employ pronouns.
One of the upsides to fiction writing is the ability to invent words. Ergo, in my Void Incursion series, I’ve created a whole new approach to non-binary pronouns and made up my own.
Aliens without gender
In the Void Incursion series, I have created an alien race called the Yalifira. They are humanoid in appearance. The Yalifira have green jewel-toned scales that are covered in a soft, short fur over body, arms, and legs. Their average height is just shy of seven feet tall. They are narrow-shouldered, with a long oval face and large, oval eyes that shift between being all black, grey, or red. They also have purple hair worn at varying lengths.
But one key difference with the Yalifira is that they have no gender. At all. That’s because they have no sex organs.
Yalifira reproduce via parthenogenesis. This is defined, via sciencedirect.com, as “a form of reproduction in which an egg can develop into an embryo without being fertilized by a sperm.”
Hence, asexual. And this is why the Yalifira has no gender. No sex, no gender.
To address this in a big galaxy where pronouns can be super helpful, I have created my own.
He/she has been replaced with ‘xeez’ (pronounced zeez).
Him/her has been replaced with “xerz’ (pronounced zerz).
Using this in my books, you get this:
“Avra had worked for nearly two centuries building quite the business empire and was proud of xerz accomplishments. Xez may well have been an enigma, but xez had put in a great deal of time and hard work to build the life Avra had.” The Void Incursion – Book One – Opening Gambit (Chapter 2).
I can’t deny this made my original editor a little nuts. But I considered this part of the normalization of non-binary pronouns. Thus – I apply it throughout the series.
Non-binary characters in the future
Unlike the Void Incursion – taking place in another galaxy far from our own – the Forgotten Fodder series takes place in our future.
Set in the year 2572, the first novel – Unexpected Witness – introduces us to a future where humankind has created colonies beyond Earth. That led to three governments, two of which created clone armies to fight a war against one another. When that war ended, all the colonies came under one government, and the tens of thousands of surviving clones became an underclass.
In this future, there is an interplanetary law enforcement agency akin to the FBI called the CBI (Confederation Bureau of Investigation). The CBI is headed by multiple deputy directors and directors, with an executive director overall in charge.
The executive director is non-binary. Thus, referred to by the pronouns they and them. Though a minor character, a more major character (whom you will meet in Book Three – Unraveling Conspiracy – in August 2021) is also non-binary.
Some people may question why I am bothering? Why? Because non-binary people exist, have always existed, and certainly will exist in the future. And they might well be in positions of power and authority like Executive Director Jordan Tang of the CBI.
Yes, this is in consideration of inclusivity – in part. But also, frankly, reality. There are lots of different genders – and non-binary is one of them. Five-hundred fifty years from now I have no doubt they will not only be common – but far more accepted.
Since I have non-binary characters, I considered inventing more new pronouns. But to tie into our present reality I kept with current, common practices.
(I’m aware that there are multiple non-binary pronouns currently accepted. But, since there is no single standard, I felt they/them were the best pronouns to use).
Inclusivity matters
Why am I including non-binary characters in my work? Because people identify as non-binary.
We do not – any of us – live in a monochromatic world. Hair color; eye color; skin color; body type, shape, and size vary wildly. Everyone knows somebody – personally or peripherally – who is a different color or gender than they are.
One way I have addressed this recently is in choosing to not describe my human characters too thoroughly. Apart from identifying a name, maybe something about their build and gender, I give nothing else. I don’t share hair color, skin color, or eye color (save with clones, because it’s part of how they are identifiable). I want you, the reader, to imagine them as works best for you.
Even with impressions of how the characters might be depicted made by my cover artist (with my input) for Forgotten Fodder, they’re adaptable. What’s more, I’ve actively mixed up naming conventions to reflect how I believe, 550 years from now, superficial identifiers such as nationality, skin color, and religion are largely nonexistent.
Inclusivity matters because we need to be reminded that – when all is said and done – we are all one. Every difference that can be examined between us is artificial. Actively representing this in my writing is not “woke” or “liberal” or some other label – it’s what I believe should be the norm.
If discussion of gender non-binary people, pronouns we use for them, or any other matter of inclusivity offends you – I would ask you one question:
Why?
Does it offend you for any reason other than it represents something different from your worldview? Different is only scary when we let it be scary. Otherwise different is good.
More inclusivity equals more normalization. That makes us all better. Hence, how I address non-binary characters matters.
Thank you for being part of my ongoing journey, for joining me, and for inspiring me and my craft.
This is the one-hundred and seventeenth article exploring the ongoing creative process. Please take a moment to check out the collection of my published works, which can be found here.
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