Suggesting a gender box...

MaryAnne

Would it be possible to have a male and female gender box to tick off in our profiles?

Maybe also an age range to check off- you know 13 -18, 19-25, 26-40, 40+

I'm often confused, especially if the person commenting is new or an infrequent visitor...

Just a thought.

vinlyn

I've always been in favor of a very brief bio box...like 4 sentences.

genkaku

@MaryAnne -- I'm often confused too, but it seldom has anything to do with anyone's sex or age.

federica

We don't see the need....
I think the point is to treat everyone as you'd like to be treated, and talk to people in a respectful, compassionate way.
gender/age has no barriers in that respect.

Nevermind

Really, you talk to everyone in a respectful and compassionate way? Don't worry, men have tougher skin.

Jeffrey

With time the genders come out. But it is funny when you think of someone as female and they are male! Or vice versa. We could have a thread for all the females and another where all males are announced?

federica

Jeffrey said:

With time the genders come out. But it is funny when you think of someone as female and they are male! Or vice versa. We could have a thread for all the females and another where all males are announced?

Or... we could.... Not.

Jeffrey

True. We could or we could not. Is there something wrong with doing it? I don't care either way.

JoyfulGirl

Why does this even matter?

JoyfulGirl

What if I am a joyfulboy? Or a joyfulboygirl? How would you answer me then?

Jeffrey

Hypothetically you could answer (or not) however you felt comfortable. I might actually be Jeffina.

Another member brought it up is why the question has been raised. They could tell you better than I a reason for it mattering. We have in the past had a thread with age. It didn't cause a problem, but maybe sex is more of a problem. As I said I will participate just for fun and to see who is who.

zombiegirl

I don't think gender is relevant. If you cannot tell whether someone is male or female based upon their post, then obviously it's not even relevant enough to the topic to be discernible. Any "insight" gained by knowing their sex is likely to just add to presumption because, of course... we all have A LOT of baggage when it comes to putting males and females into boxes.

The only thing I support is having a box for "underage" posters, but I feel like we've gone over this before and no one under 16 is even supposed to be on here... is that right?

JoyfulGirl

I actually agree that age is important when giving advice on things. It might actually be very damaging to give wrong advice to someone underage.

JoyfulGirl

But the gender box could be optinal so that those who wants to can cross of.

poptart

Here's a few more categories:

hermaphrodites
transexuals
women who don't shave their pits
men who wax their chests
Big Brother rejects
foetuses
tomboys
himbos
prodigies
pigeon fanciers

Linc

zombiegirl said:

no one under 16 is even supposed to be on here... is that right?

The minimum age is 13 unless a parent consents. That's a US law.

mfranzdorf

poptart said:

Here's a few more categories:

hermaphrodites
transexuals
women who don't shave their pits
men who wax their chests
Big Brother rejects
foetuses
tomboys
himbos
prodigies
pigeon fanciers

I don't even know what a himbo is.

Yaskan

I don't see how it's relevant. If it did get implemented (and that doesn't look likely) then it would need to be either voluntary, a box to write what you want or more options than simply male and female. There are many other genders in the world.

Dandelion

Maybe the best thing to do, in a particular thread if in a particular context where you feel it is information that might be useful, is to simply ask.

MaryAnne

Oh for Buddha's sake. It was just a harmless suggestion. I wasn't trying to pry into anyone's secret life behind the damn computer. I didn't suggest SS numbers.
::rolls eyes:::

Dakini

Some people prefer to remain anonymous as to gender. I have no problem respecting that.

MaryAnne

Dakini said:

Some people prefer to remain anonymous as to gender. I have no problem respecting that.

Well I never once assumed checking off the box in one's profile would need to be "mandatory"...

federica

MaryAnne said:

Oh for Buddha's sake. It was just a harmless suggestion. I wasn't trying to pry into anyone's secret life behind the damn computer. I didn't suggest SS numbers.
::rolls eyes:::

I guess this is why the move has never been implemented.
because everyone is relaxed enough to deem it unnecessary.
You can tell how relaxed they really are about it....

Dandelion

I don't think it's an offensive or privacy invading suggestion, and it would be a bit daft if it is taken that way, but I don't think it has been.

P.S i'm not really a male cat!

federica

Shame.
That would have been a first....

Dandelion

@federica I can do a great miaow, but those cat biscuits... ugh, not for me
:eek:

Zayl

This is the internet. Here we can be ageless, genderless, raceless, etc. I'd prefer to keep it that way, honestly.

rivercane

Zayl said:

This is the internet. Here we can be ageless, genderless, raceless, etc. I'd prefer to keep it that way, honestly.

Yes. I wish more sites were set up this way. It's refreshing.

karasti

I don't see why it would be a problem if it were optional and not required. Those not wishing to fill out the information wouldn't have to. Honestly, there are topics where what I say might differ based on the age and/or gender of the person, just based on my experience at various stages in my life and based on my experience as an ovary-containing human.

I would personally find it helpful in certain cases. That doesn't mean I would choose not to talk to someone because of the information. But I would respond differently to someone who was 17 and reporting a problem than if someone who was 48 was having the same problem. I actually agree with what @vinlyn said about it would be nice to have a short section where we could write information about ourselves (or not).

genkaku

OK ... anybody who isn't a rich, sexy saint, raise your hands!

mfranzdorf

Yaskan said:

I don't see how it's relevant. If it did get implemented (and that doesn't look likely) then it would need to be either voluntary, a box to write what you want or more options than simply male and female. There are many other genders in the world.

Not to derail the discussion, but just how many genders do you feel there are?

Gui

Aw, come on. I always wanted to be a 28 year old woman.

Jeffrey

Come to think of it in most other forums I have been on there is a box. Yet at the same time I have never ever checked something to give a different answer based on it. Hmmm...

Several

Are we not men? No! We are Devo!

Jeffrey

I think we should also have: animal, mineral, and vegetable.. Myself being a vegetable, ha!

"I spy with my eye....... Is it a vegateable?.... Yes! Does it start with a J???.....Success! Yes.

Barra

I remember a thread some time ago posted by a young person who was having dating troubles and was asking for help. There was quite a bit of advice provided before the frustrated OP stated his gender and we all realized that our advice was based on a wrong assumption.

We get a lot of these kind of questions and here is where revelation of gender can make a difference.

I think it would be useful to know age, gender and location. Location (I.e. country of residence) can help to explain possible cultural or language misunderstanding.

Glow

I think we already have something like this. When you click on someone's username to see their profile, you will see things listed like:

Glow has changed his profile image.

Or

MaryAnne has updated her profile.

I believe we checked male/female when we registered, and the forum software uses that information to know which pronoun is applicable.

Vastmind

^^^ Now that you mention it...yes, however that was under the activity
button, and mine is no longer there ( after the latest changes)..is yours?
Activity explained what actions people took, badges, who joined, etc.....

Edit....ok,now I see you have to click on a name to see activity now, as opposed
to it being on the top bar...each persons activity is listed under their name
instead of a master activity list with everyone's together.

JoyfulGirl

MaryAnne said:

Oh for Buddha's sake. It was just a harmless suggestion. I wasn't trying to pry into anyone's secret life behind the damn computer. I didn't suggest SS numbers.
::rolls eyes:::

I am sorry if my post was defensive, I guess for me I imagined that all those helpless stereotypes of men and women would be relevant in our forum with this. For me discussing gender and things like that are very triggering. I should have watched my speach. Peace

MaryAnne

JoyfulGirl said:

MaryAnne said:

Oh for Buddha's sake. It was just a harmless suggestion. I wasn't trying to pry into anyone's secret life behind the damn computer. I didn't suggest SS numbers.
::rolls eyes:::

I am sorry if my post was defensive, I guess for me I imagined that all those helpless stereotypes of men and women would be relevant in our forum with this. For me discussing gender and things like that are very triggering. I should have watched my speach. Peace

Not a problem. My comment wasn't aimed at anyone in particular. Just a general reaction to the paranoia in general....

Yaskan

mfranzdorf said:

Yaskan said:

I don't see how it's relevant. If it did get implemented (and that doesn't look likely) then it would need to be either voluntary, a box to write what you want or more options than simply male and female. There are many other genders in the world.

Not to derail the discussion, but just how many genders do you feel there are?

To name a few which have been given names there's:
Cisgender - having the same gender as the sex assigned at birth.
Transgender - FTM, MTF, F/MTN (sometimes people use 2 instead of the T)
F= female, M = male and N = Neutrois*
Genderqueer - an umbrella term, but also a non-binary gender identity by itself and has a political connotation.
Bi/Trigender - shifts between 2/3 distinct (A to female, male or non-binary gender identities.
Genderfluid - non-static gender. Similar to above, but less 'A to B'.
Agender - being neither male nor female, but having a gender of some sort.
Genderless - no gender at all.
*Neutrois - a neutral gender (they usually feel strong gender dysphoria and so wish to have some form of hormone treatment or surgery, hence I put them in the transgender section).
Androgyne - androgynous. Sometimes described as simultaneously both male and female.

Talisman

This discussion is funny to me :P

federica

...And not only to you.

mfranzdorf

Yaskan said:

mfranzdorf said:

I don't see how it's relevant. If it did get implemented (and that doesn't look likely) then it would need to be either voluntary, a box to write what you want or more options than simply male and female. There are many other genders in the world.

Not to derail the discussion, but just how many genders do you feel there are?

To name a few which have been given names there's:
Cisgender - having the same gender as the sex assigned at birth.
Transgender - FTM, MTF, F/MTN (sometimes people use 2 instead of the T)
F= female, M = male and N = Neutrois*
Genderqueer - an umbrella term, but also a non-binary gender identity by itself and has a political connotation.
Bi/Trigender - shifts between 2/3 distinct (A to female, male or non-binary gender identities.
Genderfluid - non-static gender. Similar to above, but less 'A to B'.
Agender - being neither male nor female, but having a gender of some sort.
Genderless - no gender at all.
*Neutrois - a neutral gender (they usually feel strong gender dysphoria and so wish to have some form of hormone treatment or surgery, hence I put them in the transgender section).
Androgyne - androgynous. Sometimes described as simultaneously both male and female.

I suppose I opened the door to that one.

zombiegirl

I dunno... I enjoy my gender anonymity. You guys will never know! :orange:

Linc

Eh, I may do this. There's an "unspecified" option in any case. I may also put birthday back in profiles at some point. Trying to fry some larger fish at the moment, so to speak.

Nevermind

So does "unspecified" mean bi or that they have never checked?

Citta

zombiegirl said:

I dunno... I enjoy my gender anonymity. You guys will never know! :orange:

Same here. I am the most grateful man on the foru...whoops.

Linc

zombiegirl said:

I dunno... I enjoy my gender anonymity. You guys will never know! :orange:

Don't you mean :zombie: ?

Beej

People are a funny species.

Nirvana

It seems to me that there should be three boxes, not just two.

Aren't we forgetting about the sockpuppets?