Le français non-binaire:Linguistic forms used by non-binary speakers of French and their pedagogical implications for intercultural competence development

In response to shifting sociocultural constructions of gender and the emerging visibility of non-binary subject positions (Kramsch, 2009), grammatically binary linguistic systems, such as French, are presently being challenged, subverted, and adapted by speakers. In turn, this development of gender-inclusive linguistic forms and practices offers unique pedagogical opportunities for linguistic and intercultural competence development in second-language classrooms wherein students performatively (re)construct (Butler, 1990) second language selves (Dornyei, 2014). Such an opportunity coincides with increased attention to intercultural competence (IC) in the field of language teaching as is evidenced by new Can-Do statements for IC and a growing number of academic positions in IC. This paper describes and analyzes how contemporary French speakers are confronting and innovating beyond the gender binary, highlighting the lack of scholarly attention -and commensurate increase in public salience- that these issues enjoy.