United Airlines last month became the first major airline to allow passengers to book flights with a non-binary gender prefix and title, called “Mx.”
The announcement was made and policy rolled out alongside a tagline that read, “Welcome aboard, Mx.” These changes come as the company aims to “lead by example on LGBTQ inclusivity” and “exhibit their care to passengers”.
According to Advocate, the announcement was accompanied by a statement from the company saying that the move gives their passengers the “ability to identify as M(male), F(female), U(undisclosed) or X(unspecific), corresponding with what is indicated on their passports or identification”.
Chief customer officer, Toby Enqvist, said: “United is determined to lead the industry in LGBT inclusivity, and we are so proud to be the first U.S. airline to offer these inclusive booking options for our customers.
[We are] excited to share with our customers, whether they identify along the binary of male or female or not, that we are taking the steps to exhibit our care for them while also providing additional employee training to make us even more welcoming for all customers and employees.”
This move has been received positively by civil rights groups, including the Human Rights Campaign, who described it “as an important step for all people who want their identities to be acknowledged”.
According to Beck Bailey, acting director of the Workplace Equality Program, by providing non-binary gender selection for ticketing and the gender-inclusive honorific ‘Mx’ in user profiles “United Airlines is taking an important step forward for non-binary inclusion.”
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