Ascot joins race to be woke with new ‘Mx’ badges
ROYAL Ascot racegoers can choose gender-neutral titles on their name badges this year, for the first time.
Guests in the Royal Enclosure, the event’s exclusive private members’ club, are required to wear badges, which in previous years carried the standard prefixes of Mr, Mrs and Miss.
But this year an additional option of “Mx” has been provided for transgender or non-binary attendees who do not regard themselves as male or female.
The five-day annual flat racing meeting is returning in June for the second year after spectators were banned during lockdown.
It is staged at the Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire and welcomes 300,000 racegoers across the week, including 12,000 badge-holders in the Royal Enclosure.
Racegoers choose the prefix on their badge when they sign up for membership.
Nick Smith, director of racing at the event, said: “The Mx name option is a natural transition.
“It should be up to the member how they are referred to on their badge.
“Royal Ascot and its dress codes are an important part of our culture and history but modernising [is] equally important.”
The change, which comes as transgender rights gain more prominence, is a far cry from Ascot events in the past, when women’s badges carried their husband’s name.
The event, which dates back to 1768 and is a favourite for the Royal family, has also had gender-neutral lavatories in place for several years and is now featuring a samesex couple in its style guide.
However, guests in the Royal Enclosure will still be expected to abide by the strict dress code of formal daywear for ladies and morning dress for men.
Before 1970, women visitors to the Royal Enclosure were not permitted to wear trousers.
Suzy Lewis, a long-time member, told The Mail on Sunday: “It’s funny how they can be so antiquated on one hand and so woke on the other … Mx [looks] like a cooking instruction.”
Various institutions are going gender-neutral in a bid to support transgender people. House of Lords staff have been told to avoid using “offensive” terms such as “man-made” or “manpower”.