How gender neutral language is working for non-binary people,
and how it’s developing in English, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Portuguese and Hebrew.
I started using the term Non-Binary for myself a couple years ago. I knew a few people who identified that way, but for a long time my assumptions about those words made me think they didn’t apply to me. But once I started to embrace the vocabulary, so many things began to make sense. The language directly changed the way I understood the world. And still, that language is unfamiliar to a lot of people, and it’s constantly evolving.
Bữa Ăn Tiếng Việt, or BATV for short, translates in English to “Vietnamese speaking dinner.” In 2012, what started off as a casual group of 3 Berkeley students who meet up to eat Vietnamese dishes and practice their language skills has now transformed into a safe haven for over a hundred queer trans Vietnamese folks in Northern California. This short film captures an impromptu night of intergenerational healing with special guests visiting from Viet Rainbow of Orange County (VROC). In addition, it showcases the gender radical pronoun "chanh." We formed it out of the word "chi" (meaning sister) and the word “anh” (meaning brother). Together, “chi + anh = chanh,” which is the word for “lemon” in Vietnamese. So on that note, may the gender justice movement in the Vietnamese diaspora continue to be hella juicy and fresh like “chanh.”
One day a friend told me to make an altar dedicated to my ancestors. I told her that my ancestors probably don’t like me because I’m Queer. Earlier this summer, I sent Dr. Moya Bailey (my mentor) my YouTube video about my non-binary journey where I say “my ancestors could’ve never imagined.” She said to me “you are more than your ancestor’s wildest dreams; you are the present!”
I don’t think we need permission from the ancestors to affect cultural change. In fact, I think we owe it to them to create a world that is more free, just, beautiful, and sustainable for us all. But in order for us to create this world, we have to imagine it first. And sometimes we have to let go of old cultural beliefs and form new ones. This piece is dedicated to my ancestors for watching over me & guiding me. ——————————————————————
This video features my maternal grandfather (my heart) who is very much still alive as well as my friends Gabbie and Brittney.
Some footage was shot by Nathaniel Chiruyi
Song: Ere Yon by Julie Coker
Guests:
Cara Nguyen - Website and Instagram
Avery Hellman - Where the World Begins
nwaobiala
Blue Broderick - Diners
Dan Everton - New Bedford lgbtq+ Archive
and Queer Arts Council of New Bedford
Dana Ysabel Dela Cruz - Website and Instagram
Em Jiang - Instagram
Jaq Victor - Vimeo • Website
Lior Gross + Eyal Rivlin - Non-binary Hebrew Project
Tuck Woodstock - Gender Reveal (Podcast)
Also, a huge thank you to Miriam Berger whose
article for The Washington Post helped inform this episode, and to Kelsey Penrose.
Topics, Tags and Mentions: non-binary, they/them pronouns, gender neutral pronouns, cisgender, transgender, trans rights, genderqueer, neopronouns, gender neutral pronouns in english, gender neutral pronouns in Tagalog, gender neutral pronouns in Portuguese, gender neutral pronouns in Vietnamese, Chanh, Cam pronoun, gender neutral pronouns in Hebrew, Filipinx, diaspora, gendered language, non-binary podcast, non binary podcast, nonbinary podcast, language.