Mx Chris identifies as OtherWise, non-binary, and transgender. They do not identify as male or female, man or woman. They cringe when well-meaning people use “brothers and sisters” without recognizing that it is not a fully inclusive phrase. Mx Chris appreciates more inclusive words like “siblings.” [Learn More]

Mx Chris uses “Mx” as a title, because they often spend time with folk who use titles and honorifics like Reverend or Mother or Brother. Using “Mx” helps put their gender identity out in front as a reminder and also claims the kind of dignity and respect that is often offered in a more gendered way (e.g. Miss, Brother, Mother).

Mx Chris started using they/them pronouns after a conversation with a friend about the Genesis 1 creation narrative and that early use of “they/them” language around the Imago Dei, image of God. Zey is an alternate (neo-pronoun) invented by Chris’s daughter to avoid the intermediate school grammar police.

You can read more about using they-singular pronouns and also the title prefix “Mx” on the OtherWise Christian blog:

• About Mx as a prefix/title
• What is “OtherWise-gendered”?
• They/Them or Non-Binary Gender–What does it mean?
• They/Them-singular for the Grammar Police
• Gender and Social Pronouns! Why it matters.

More Resources

• Beyond Brothers and Sisters (2BOtherWise blog)
• Mx Chris participated in a 2020 TransOhio panel with several non-binary people, which provides a diverse and in-depth treatment that goes beyond the basics.
• Also, I appreciate Avery Smith’s treatment of Neo-Pronouns. which is available on YouTube. They even pick up on the Zey segment from OtherWise Christian.

Trivia

• I recently discovered that I am mentioned on the Non-Binary Wiki with a definition of “OtherWise”!
• While the survey was anonymous, my response to “gender not listed here” was included in the title of the paper, “A Gender Not Listed Here: Genderqueers, Gender Rebels, and OtherWise in the National Transgender Discrimination Survey” (by Jack Harrison, Jaime Grant, and Jody L. Herman in the LGBTQ Policy Journal at the Harvard Kennedy School, Vol 2). [Learn more]