Gender options on forum

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I would feel more comfortable and better able to express myself if, on this forum, there were more options than "male" and "female" in the gender field of a profile; even such a broad third category as "transgender" (or an option to leave the field blank) would be more accurate than having to define my gender in the binary. Even more preferable would be a text field where one could type in one's own gender identification.

This is important because when, as a female-bodied and genderfluid person, I chose "female" for my gender, I imply that my preferred pronouns are "she," "her" and "hers," that I experience relationships as a female person, and that I interact in a female or feminine way. None of these are true, and I feel like I'd be imposing on people if I were constantly correcting them every time one of these things were assumed

If the idea is widely shared among voters in the poll, please consider it. The addition of the otherwise neurodiverse forum and the LGBT forum shows WP's commitment to diversity, and to making all people feel welcome. This change could add to those improvements.

I'd rather that we have more gender options to choose from. I wouldn't mind a Lola option.

I'm all for this.

Hi everyone.

This thread already exists here: http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt119328.html

I should not have locked this down and I apologize. While good discussion is going on in the other thread, this one has a poll that was being used extensively by those not posting. Please continue to cast your votes, I don't want to come between you and your voices.

I think it should at least be made optional so you're not forced to chose either male or female

The problem with adding another option is which one do you choose?

I think just "other" would be the safest, although a lot of people would just click that taking the piss

a "Transgender" option would be a bad idea I think as a lot of trans people identify as male or female anyway and might feel pressured into choosing "transgendered" when they'd otherwise have been comfortable with m or f

I reckon the most important thing would be to mak it optional, whether other categories are added or not

(I object to using the word "gender" when we really mean "sex" on grammar Nazi grounds. Just putting that out there....)

From a medical perspective, I would say that three additional categories are necessary: MTF, FTM and intersexed. Each of these is, to my mind, a distinct description of a person's physiological sex.

Where I would be on hazier ground to offer an opinion would be a question of sexual identity as opposed to physiogical sex. Take the cliché example of "a woman trapped in a man's body." At what point can she properly amend her self-description from M to MTF? I lack both the personal and the professional experience to offer an opinion beyond the obvious idea that every person is best positioned to answer that question personally.

Whether this means that the category of "sex" needs more than five categories, I don't know. Is it enough to have an "other" response?

Last edited by visagrunt on 25 Feb 2011, 5:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I'm assuming it means gender rather than sex. Although if it means sex then that's even more reason for it to be optional - someone's sex is nobosy else's business

You are uncritically equating "sex" with sexual behaviour. I am referred to physiological sex.

Gender is a grammatical term that refers to the classification of nouns into 'masculine', 'feminine' and 'neuter.' It in only with the squeamishness of Americans towards the word "sex" in the last 50 years that the gender has come to be used as a term for the biological sex of an organism. (The first unequivocal OED reference to "gender" used to refer to biological sex dates back only to 1963).

From a medical perspective, there has been some use of "gender" in place of "sex" when referring to psychological identity. So, for example, "gender dysphoria" is an accepted diagnostic term where the physchological and physiological sex of an individual are not aligned.

I am?

If someone has a sex change, or sees themselves as the opposite sex they were born as, I thought thats the gender they want to be seen as. But what, people actually want to be seen as trans now? Its just a case of society going mad. Its a trend.

lol You think people would go through everything that a sex change involves just for a trend?

If they would, then they obviously have severe psychological issues regardless, in which case sex/gender are the least of their problems

Why do you care anyway?

Also, "trans" doesn't just refer to transsexuals. Not all trans people have had a sex change. I think most transsexuals would identify as m or f, yes. That doesn't mean all trans people do though

Well these are obviously the people who are caught up in the trend.

I'm not saying people would have a sex change just for the trend, i'm saying if there was anyone who had, had the operation, why would they want to be labelled a trans? That wouldn't add up.

I don't think many would. That's why I said earlier that I dion';t think "trans" is a good option to add as transsexuals usually identify as one or the other. Some people feel neither though, androgynous

If they feel neither, thats probably due to some personality defect. There shouldn't be a gender name for that. I think people can get confused not knowing who they are, and then get mixed up with that being to do with their gender.