I have three children: a 20-year-old son, a 17-year-old middle child and a 15-year-old daughter. Why don’t I assign a gender to my middle child? Because they identify as non-binary. Gender is a social construct, and it doesn’t always match the physical attributes of biological sex. My child does not feel particularly female or male, so they are non-binary.

Our family has several friends who are changing names and genders. Sometimes it is because their birth name is associated with bad experiences. Sometimes it is because they do not associate with the gender typically assigned to their name. Whatever the reason, our job as adults, and as school nutrition professionals, is to support the identity they have chosen. We do not judge them, question their choice or minimize their feelings. We accept them as they are...