Our society is ever-evolving in its perceptions and its viewpoints.
There has never been a more accepting time of topics once so misunderstood. As a nation en masse, we are opening up to the education of sensitive subjects and recognising the need to inform ourselves to move forward as an inclusive culture and society.
That said, we still have plenty of work to do.
At Voquent, we are incredibly proud to be able to offer new functionality for our clients. They can now listen to and shortlist demos from a range of non-binary narrators and voice actors demos.
When it comes to complex issues such as a person’s gender identity, how are we embracing this in the broader community?
The rise in awareness around sexuality and gender, which stretch beyond the simple ‘A or B’ checkboxes, is noticeably growing. Subjects once unjustly deemed taboo or even downright illegal are being pulled apart and diminished (albeit at a stubborn rate). However, the progression forward is positive.
The progressive changes made in Germany this year are a strong example.
Germany recently made headlines by their decision to adopt the 3rd category of intersex on all official documents and registers, marking them the first country in the world to do so. Intersex is the term given to describe people who are born with both male and female sex characteristics. These can appear at birth or develop later in life. Completely separate from a person’s gender identity or sexual orientation, many intersex people face legal discrimination and stigmas around their genetic makeup. Germany’s decision to make such moves puts them strides ahead in allowing this community to feel a sense of acceptance.
Allowing such changes to be made on official documentation can only serve to quash the negativity and ignorance held by some. Making the term, ‘intersex’ no more atypical to us as male or female must be a real eureka moment for the intersex community and undoubtedly offers a sense of restored faith in societies advances.
The UN claims around 1.7% of the population are born with intersex traits. This equates to roughly 131 million people in the world (which is about the same as the number of people with red hair).
It's no surprise then that this move made by Germany seems both optimistic yet somewhat puzzling. Why wasn't it made sooner?
It begs the question: how many other countries will follow suit?
Granted, Austria's constitutional court made a similar ruling to Germany's back in June 2017, while Australia, New Zealand, Malta, India and Canada have passed measures to redress issues facing intersex people. However, it seems we still have a way to go for the rest of the world to do the same. That said, simple matters such as applying for jobs or filling out questionnaires have begun to show growing signs of inclusivity in gender identity in many parts of the world. For instance, platforms OkCupid and Facebook now both offer custom gender identities on forms to include a variety of options such as terms like 'androgynous'. Additionally, the UK government recently added the gender-neutral title, Mx, on forms alongside the usual Mr, Ms, Mrs etc.
Non-Binary Voices
As we touched upon earlier, we at Voquent have cause to celebrate with our new non-binary voice actor offering.
Voquent's Managing Director Miles Chicoine says of the changes, '”We're proud to be recognising and representing artists who don't identify as being male or female because Voquent's ethos has always been about exploring uniqueness and diversity. Until now, non-binary voice-over talents have been misrepresented. No database, agency, or platform has ever taken the necessary steps to distinguish this most fundamental human attribute. We hope that leading by example compels others in this industry to follow suit.”
The talented Zee Andrews is the first actor on Voquent to offer non-binary voice-overs, and we expect this to increase considerably as new voices from all around the world join Voquent.
Pictured: Non-Binary Voice Actor Zee Andrews.
Non-binary is non-linear and doesn't have one finite definition but describes an individual who does not identify themselves as him or her.
Other terms used to describe this unique and diverse gender include gender-fluid, inter-gender or agender. A person may feel substantially male one day yet may feel more comfortable expressing female identities on others. In a recent Netflix video, Lauchlan Watson described gender as just like walking straight in the woods and not knowing where I'm going.
The topic isn't widely researched, so it makes it difficult to determine accurate statistics. However, Practicalandrogyny.com found around 0.4% of the UK alone identify themselves as non-binary when given a three-option choice to pick between male, female or another description (however, alternatively phrased questions could alter the answers).
We tend to develop a sense of gender identification around the ages of three – seven. However, many non-binary individuals may struggle to articulate this at this young age. This struggle for identity could be due to many social and environmental factors. The lack of visibility around the topic in day-to-day life and the low number of role models in the mainstream media impact this further.
However, positive transformation is here—the success of actors such as Asia Kate Dillon raising the profile. Asia gained critical acclaim playing the role of Brandy Epps in the popular Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, amongst other high-profile onscreen roles such as Taylor Mason in the TV Drama series Billions.
Pictured: Asia Kate Dillon, known for their roles in Billions and Orange Is The New Black.
Asia Kate Dillon isn’t alone in pioneering awareness of this growing community, with esteemed actors Ruby Rose and Lachlan Watson from the new Chilling Adventures of Sabrina both casting a magnifying glass on this topic.
With the number of people willing to open up about gender identity on the rise, can we afford not to develop our understanding in our businesses and look at ways in which we could acknowledge this in our day to day business practices?
As media outlets and eminent big business names, who have a prevalent voice in today’s society, we must do our utmost in supporting and shedding light on lesser-explored subjects. Suppose more and more public figures, institutions and businesses embrace gender identification rights. In that case, the current shadowed view may well become a generic or normalised part of society that the terms male and female have become to us.
So why choose a Non-binary voice actor?
For decades, traditional media has been fighting a battle for exposure, and worldwide adoption of social media has forced companies everywhere to find new ways to hold the attention of their markets.
We’ve seen this in the increasing volume of companies looking for voice-overs that perform in neutral-sounding accents and in requests for voices that sound different or unusual enough to stand out from the crowd. It’s not uncommon for non-binary voices to have distinct qualities that are hard to place, and that itself can be just what’s needed to hold the attention of your audience for even just a fraction of a moment longer. Some seek a non-binary voice because of the associations and alignment of values embraced by more thoughtful and considerate approaches to workplace and living cultures. If you want to demonstrate a commitment to fostering a more inclusive society, a non-binary voice may well help symbolise those values in your broadcasts and communication. For more information on our non-binary function or to explore our audio samples from our comprehensive roster of voice talents, click here!
We are genuinely passionate about increasing and accelerating audience engagement with captivating voice acting and helping companies worldwide achieve this. Contact us today – we would be delighted to help you do the same. Visit us here to find out other ways in which we can help your business meet its ever-evolving day to day needs.
Learn more about voice-over jobs at Voquent
Listen to Voice Actors from around the world
More from this author
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores such as Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, if you click on a link and make a
purchase, we may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
