They really need more gender options...

Post Reply New Topic


Some countries have already started altering their application forms and increasing their ID options, but the world isn't fully behind it yet so its up to individuals to make service providers aware of the issue.
If you want to find out why it is an issue you could visit: www.oiiuk.org/755/ten-misconceptions-about-intersex or: www.aiclegal.org (who actively defend intersex children) ~ there are others, & quite afew youtube clips on the subject, but some of the stories about people who were operated on (unnecessarily / so 'society' might accept them) might not be suitable for the very young or the very squeamish.
T

i am mostly male, and i also typically assume the 'gender' boxes to imply "biological sex" (those two are used interchangeably in everyday speech), and fill them accordingly.
i personally do not feel the need to use any forms of 'other', but i do agree that we as a species have grown beyond only two genders (several cultures have 3 or more, most are in/around india).
just adding an official non-binary/other to official documents will go a long way in the right direction.

on that note, australia made some headway by indeed allowing its citizens to officially become "other" on their travel documents

Yeah this is something that almost kept me from making an account today. It's a kick in the chest when you get to the 'choose gender' part of a site and there's only two options. They should at least have an option not to answer so non-binary people aren't having to actively misgender themselves. It's very icky feeling. Like, why on earth does the website even need to know this info? bah

well said; i would rather not risk having people make gender assumptions about me ...and most social networks let the members decide who to share that sort of info with. Mind you, a bisexual forum i tried to join afew years ago not only insisted that visitors declare themselves male or female, but also restricted their access to either the male index or the female index. Some therapy centres (here in england anyway) are no better; they don't offer bisexuals mixed sessions. I am therefore relieved that this forum allows us to mingle as we please.

I was hoping there'd be a discussion going on about this. I think that at the very least, an option to not declare a gender is a necessity.

I consider myself lucky to be a non-binary person who still feels reasonably comfortable identifying with a binary gender even though it may be technically incorrect. Many other non-binary folks will have a much more personal, potentially even traumatic, relationship toward being forced to gender themselves in a safe space. Most non-binary folks have to mis-gender themselves constantly throughout their daily lives and are routinely mis-gendered by strangers, employers, and medical professionals as well as by trusted friends and family. For many, a mandatory binary gender check-box is an immediate signifier that a space is not safe for them.

I don't know what exactly can be done about it with the current software. I'm not familiar with the ins and outs of it. But I'll co-sign that it's a much more important issue than binary-gendered folks might immediately perceive.

I wish they would have a "sex" option instead, or an option to choose nothing. I am not comfortable with "gender" options because "gender" means very different things to some people, and is meaningless to me. Sex is simple and concrete.

I felt a little let down when I found that the new WP doesn't have more options. I've selected Male, because that's how I feel on the inside to my bones. I've always seen gender as a spectrum instead of just being Male or Female. My female friend asked how I know I have gender problems. I told her that I just know to the core of my being and I've known since I was 4.

I messaged the Alex about it
Maybe he will read it

Yea, this is a thing that needs to be addressed. Many forums will either let you put in your own or they will let you choose others.