BY: DM
Published 4 hours ago
Grab your calendars and your pronouns, because Nonbinary Awareness Week is back. This week is not just about visibility — it’s about power. From TikTok creators to community organizers, nonbinary people are shifting culture, pushing boundaries, and living in their truth every day. Nonbinary Awareness Week is about amplifying those voices and breaking down the myths that say gender has to fit in a box.
Nonbinary describes people whose gender doesn’t fit neatly into the categories of “male” or “female,” according to the LGBT Foundation. This identity isn’t some brand-new trend — it’s been around for generations. But only recently has mainstream culture started showing nonbinary folks the visibility and respect they’ve long deserved. Some nonbinary people feel like a mix of both genders. Others feel like neither. Some might switch things up depending on the day. Pronouns can vary, too — from they/them to neopronouns like ze/zir, or a combo that feels right in the moment.
Now, there’s a whole week to honor nonbinary people and their experiences. Here’s a look at how Nonbinary Awareness Week came to be and how allies can step up and show real support.
Nonbinary Awareness Week was designed with all genders in mind.
Nonbinary Awareness Week kicks off on the Sunday before International Nonbinary People’s Day — which takes place on July 14. The story kicks off in 2012, when Belgian activist Katje van Loon founded International Nonbinary People’s Day to land exactly halfway between International Women’s Day and International Men’s Day. Van Loon chose July 14 for its symbolic midpoint, and from that spark, nonbinary visibility became “a thing.”
“We can feel invisible in a world that still hasn’t completely understood what we are. So it’s nice to have a day that recognizes our existence,” Van Loon told BBC. “Does it have to be a day where we’re out in the streets marching? No. But it would be nice to get some flowers.”
In 2020, organizers expanded the celebration into Nonbinary Awareness Week, giving space for workshops, panels, online campaigns, and deeper dives into nonbinary history and experiences. Nonbinary Awareness Week now begins each year on the Monday before July 14 and wraps up on the Sunday directly after.
Allies can show their support in various ways!
When it comes to visibility, allies have a powerful role, too. Simple acts — listening without interrupting, swapping “ladies and gentlemen” for “folks,” and adding singular they/them to email signatures — send a clear message of respect. Showing up at local events, amplifying nonbinary creators on social platforms, and calling on workplaces to update HR policies can turn awareness into real-life support.
And when the week ends, the work doesn’t stop. By continuing to challenge non-inclusive language, advocating for legal recognition, and funding nonbinary-led initiatives year-round, supporters help ensure that the momentum of one week grows into lasting, systemic shifts.
Nonbinary Awareness Week has grown from a single date in 2012 into a powerful annual movement. It reminds us that gender resists simple boxes, that inclusion demands more than tolerance, and that everyone has a role to play. As the movement swells each July, it challenges everyone to look beyond “he” and “she,” and affirm nontraditional identities.
Have you ever had to unlearn something about gender? What shifted your perspective?
