The VCE subjects non-binary students are outclassing boys in

The number of VCE students identifying as “gender X” rather than girl or boy has quadrupled over the last three years, and results show they are star pupils in some subjects.

The number of VCE students nominating as ‘gender X’ has quadrupled.

The number of VCE students nominating as “gender X” has quadrupled in three years – and these non-binary students are outperforming boys in a number of subjects.

In 2022 there were almost 200 students who identified as gender diverse in year 12 – up from 54 in 2020 and 28 in 2017.

Gender X students are unevenly distributed among subjects, ranging from 0.04 per cent in accounting to 1.8 per cent in sociology and art.

Other subjects with a greater proportion of gender X students are media (1.1 per cent) and revolutions (0.8 per cent).

Victoria allowed students to declare their gender as non-­binary in 2017; it was the second state to do so.

The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority’s move followed complaints that trans or gender-diverse students felt misgendered by having to choose male or female on official documents.

At the time LGBTIQ+ advocates hailed the move as a “huge step”.

Last year there were almost 200 students who identified as gender diverse.

VCAA records show gender X students outperformed boys, but not girls, in their final exams in media, psychology and art.

Gender X students performed less well than male and female students in biology, ­English, chemistry, drama, ­sociology and business management.

LGBTIQ advocate Michael Barnett, OAM, said the descriptor of “gender X” allowed people “to be who they want to be, freed from the shackles of a male or female identity”.

“The X in gender X may well represent ‘eXcape’, an escaping the rigidity of outdated societal norms where young people can write their own narratives of who they want to be, and how they want to get there,” he said.

Mr Barnett said adopting a non-binary identity allowed many to feel “less constrained by the gender norms of the male identity they were ­expected to conform to”.

The option of an “undefined gender” was opposed at the time by the Australian Christian Lobby and some Liberal MPs who said it was out of step with community expectations.

Since then the number of students using this gender identifier have increased dramatically and no known issues have arisen from its use.