Other Gender?

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Why are the only gender options "Male" and "Female"?

Assuming I'm still here after I get the neutralisation operation, what will I put then? There is no "Other" option for the genderless, the hermaphrodites, the transsexuals, etc...


And given that it is a compulsory field, I'd expect it only fair that people be given the chance to answer honestly.

Would you consider it clearer if it said heterogametic/homogametic?

Oh, Lau, I think "other" is an appropriate option and should be included.

I wish posters' gender would show in their posts, like their age and location (if specified). I just want to know whether I'm talking to a man or a woman, so I am forever clicking on posters' profiles to find out (especially since many posters use avatars of the opposite sex).

It's quite likely that the existence of only two options for gender has to do with the fact that the dominant understanding of gender in the US (and most of Western Europe) is bi-polar. There are many cultures where other genders exist, but it's not common to encounter someone from them.

Yes, I do this too.

I would also like to see an 'other' or 'third gender' type option.
How about 'non-traditional'?

LOL, how about 'Undecided'?

It is all about gender roles. People like to ignore the exsitence of other possibilities so they can keep perpetuating the myth that all people are either male or female. The mods might be able to change the programing to add other as category.

I think that, if you are in doubt about your binary gender, you should flip a coin.

There are rarely some born with multiple parts, but generally there are two main sexes.

Now, if someones wishes to state their "orientation" that is one thing, but then could we also state what religion we practice and what the last grade level completed was and what our IQs are?

We're talking gender here... not birth sex and not sexual orientation... there is a difference.

If it does not pertain to you, why jump in here with a post like that?
It sounds as though you are being sarcastic.

Approximately 1 out 2,000 people are born obviously, physically intersex. In western culture, the preferred method is to cut off the offending part (usually the male part) when ambiguity occurs, as it's considered easier to surgically create a female rather than a male. Any variation that you can imagine pretty much exists. Binary is a sociological construct.

If 1/2000 is physically intersex, then 1999/2000 are not.

So, 1 in 250 are aspies. Should we demand that they pretend to be the same as NTs? Intersexuallity is a matter of birth, beyond control, that affects every aspect of the person, including gender perception (however and whenever the hormones affected the fetus at whatever stage of development). It's insulting that they be forced to pretend to be something that makes you comfortable.

Excuse me?

gender
Noun
1. the state of being male, female, or neuter
2. the classification of nouns in certain languages as masculine, feminine, or neuter [Latin genus kind]


gen·der
(jndr)
n.
1. Grammar
a. A grammatical category used in the classification of nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and, in some languages, verbs that may be arbitrary or based on characteristics such as sex or animacy and that determines agreement with or selection of modifiers, referents, or grammatical forms.
b. One category of such a set.
c. The classification of a word or grammatical form in such a category.
d. The distinguishing form or forms used.
2. Sexual identity, especially in relation to society or culture. (Would be easy to ignore after you read below, wouldn't it, iamnotaparakeet?)
3.
a. The condition of being female or male; sex.
b. Females or males considered as a group: expressions used by one gender.


gender·less adj.
Usage Note: Traditionally, gender has been used primarily to refer to the grammatical categories of "masculine," "feminine," and "neuter," but in recent years the word has become well established in its use to refer to sex-based categories, as in phrases such as gender gap and the politics of gender. This usage is supported by the practice of many anthropologists, who reserve sex for reference to biological categories, while using gender to refer to social or cultural categories. According to this rule, one would say The effectiveness of the medication appears to depend on the sex (not gender) of the patient, but In peasant societies, gender (not sex) roles are likely to be more clearly defined. This distinction is useful in principle, but it is by no means widely observed, and considerable variation in usage occurs at all levels.