News

Jun 02, 2023

“Hi! My name is Natalia, and my pronouns are she/her/hers.” The first time I heard this introduction, I was confused. I mean, it was obvious to me that Natalia was a woman. Why were we spending time identifying the obvious?

Then I remembered my friend’s child. Assigned female at birth, at four years old Emma (a pseudonym, story shared with permission) started talking about not feeling like a girl and became increasingly sad and withdrawn over the next several years. After a long, thoughtful exploratory process with her family and an informed therapist, Emma adopted a new name, Justice, and a new set of pronouns — they/them/theirs. It was a little confusing for us to understand at first, and then hard for me to remember the new pronouns — but my kids were very good at reminding me. Over time, I realized that it came down to my comfort versus theirs. Seeing this child thrive in the non-binary space that our family helped support makes it all seem worthwhile.

For more on Heidi Brooks, Chief Operating Officer at NICHQ, on holding space for inclusive and expansive language in maternal and child health, visit: https://nichq.org/insight/exploring-nonbinary-approach-health.