Facebook adding new gender options for users

[OKNancy]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/02/13/apnewsbreak-new-gender-options-for-facebook-users/5456997/

MENLO PARK, Calif. (AP) — You don't have to be just male or female on Facebook anymore. The social media giant is adding a customizable option with about 50 different terms people can use to identify their gender as well as three preferred pronoun choices: him, her or them.

Facebook said the changes, shared with The Associated Press before the launch on Thursday, initially cover the company's 159 million monthly users in the U.S. and are aimed at giving people more choices in how they describe themselves, such as androgynous, bi-gender, intersex, gender fluid or transsexual.

"There's going to be a lot of people for whom this is going to mean nothing, but for the few it does impact, it means the world," said Facebook software engineer Brielle Harrison, who worked on the project and is herself undergoing gender transformation, from male to female. On Thursday, while watchdogging the software for any problems, she said she was also changing her Facebook identity from Female to TransWoman.

"All too often transgender people like myself and other gender nonconforming people are given this binary option, do you want to be male or female? What is your gender? And it's kind of disheartening because none of those let us tell others who we really are," she said. "This really changes that, and for the first time I get to go to the site and specify to all the people I know what my gender is."

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Nice article.

[ZombieHorde]

1. Another nice FB story.

I wonder if they hired some consultants or PR folks.

[Jesus Malverde]

2. bump... nt

[icymist]

3. I have mixed emotions about designating several sexual choices on Facebook.

After all, let's wait and see who they sell these list to. I mean that I can't see Facebook doing anything without some way of profiting off of it and there are lots of hate-groups out there who would love to get their filthy hands on such information. I say just leave the sex designation blank, like you forgot to fill it in. I do the same thing with my birthday; it's no-ones business but mine.

[Fearless]

4. They profit by more people using the site

Gaining higher traffic and greater ad revenue.