Actual letter sent to parents from a school board here in Quebec
Richelieu,
August 30, 2023
Obiet: Group 311 and 322
Dear parents,
This message is addressed to all parents of students in the 5th grade 311 group and the 6th grade 322 group.
The 311 group teacher is Mrs. Jessica Paré and the 322 group teacher is Mrs. Cristina Giguère. These two teachers have been given one day off per cycle, so that on these days, the students will be taught by Mx Martine Laviolette.
Mx is pronounced "Mix" and is the gender-neutral equivalent of "madame" and "monsieur", and is used to designate non-binary people (whose gender identity lies outside the male/female binary system) and people who simply prefer not to be addressed by their gender. It has been used for several years in many countries, and is recognized by the Canadian government.
On back-to-school day, I'll explain to your child that Mx will be the preferred title when addressing Mx Martine. We'll have a discussion about openness, differences, gender designations and so on. Mx Martine invites us to use the feminine to talk about her (the non-gendered pronoun "iel" is sometimes difficult to use because of the constraints of the French language). It will be her pleasure to guide us through this learning process in a respectful and inclusive way.
For those of you who would like to learn more about inclusive writing, I'd like to share this link with you. You'll find the information officially recognized in Canada. Inclusive writing: communications about non-binary people - Keys to writing - Writing tools - Resources from the Linquistic Portal of Canada
- Canada.ca (ourlanguages-ourlanguages.gc.ca)
Don't hesitate to open a dialogue with your child when he or she returns home.
If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Happy back-to-school!
Christine Derome
Director