Mxn aims to be a more inclusive and progressive version of men. This term acknowledges and celebrates all males. That includes those who have faced marginalization such as trans-men and men of color.
The term originated from the more commonly used female term, womxn. Both terms are relatively new, originating in the last few years, and are yet to gain mainstream acceptance.
More About Mxn
Just like the term womxn, mxn aims to achieve independence from patriarchal linguistic traditions. They say these traditions focus on white, cisgender males and thus neglect other masculine identities.
However, many have questioned the need for the term mxn. They argue that the term men is already inclusive of men of color and trans-men. In fact, some say that in suggesting otherwise, mxn is a racist term. Not accepting people covered by the term mxn may reflect people’s own racism or transphobia, rather than problems with any terms used to denote their gender identities.
A similar word, transmxn, also denotes transgender men as separate to other types of men. This indicates transgender people appreciate terms that point to their specific gender identity. Creating umbrella terms, such as mxn, may actually lead to trans-erasure rather than inclusion.
Some people even deny the existence of the term mxn at all. They say that men have not felt the need to add mxn to the lexicon as women have added womxn. While the term mxn has been used publicly on university materials and social media posts, it is still considered very niche. In contrast, womxn has featured in marketing campaigns for mainstream organizations such as Her Stories, sponsored and promoted by fashion label H&M.
