Facebook adding new gender options

[tugon (imported)]

I hope Facebook includes eunuch. Here is a link and part of the story.

http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2014/02/face ... for-users/

MENLO PARK, Calif. — You don’t have to identify as 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.”

Facebook, which has 1.15 billion active monthly users around the world, also allows them to keep their gender identity private and will continue to do so.

[fhunter]

Just what we need. Now this information can be analyzed and sold.

Sure. Thanks. Oh, add this information to the job profiling (does the company you are going to work for check social networks profiles? Will it ignore your CV due to additional information found?)

The best situation is when the site has "undisclosed" option.

[tugon (imported)]

I thought about posting this in jokes. Since few of my friends know I would not post it on Facebook. I was a little suspicious about the motive. I do wonder if listing your status would be of interest to anyone?

[emasculation (imported)]

Even though I am still intact, I thought the same thing about how they should add eunuch. LOL! However, even if I were castrated, and it were an option, I would still identify on FB as male.

[foxytaur (imported)]

Just what we need. Now this information can be analyzed and sold.

Sure. Thanks. Oh, add this information to the job profiling (does the company you are going to work for check social networks profiles? Will it ignore your CV due to additional information found?)

The best situation is when the site has "undisclosed" option.

Facebook is bullshit. Soon as I enter a real career I'm moving someplace else where they take you more seriously and thats LinkED

NB: Not sure whether gender variation disclosure will lead to prosperity or further discrimination on behalf of the employer?

If I were an employer, why should I give a rat's ass about someones gender?

All I would care is if that person can perform their job well and on time

[foxytaur (imported)]

The truth is facebook is a place where I would like to conduct myself unprofessionally and a place such as LinkED would be the complete opposite.

Facebook is a revelation of our personalized flaws. (aka pandora's box)Thats why its dangerous . I think its great that employers want to get to know more about the employees they hire. (they have a lot to lose hiring the wrong person)

But facebook is not the way. Its too sloppy and lends itself to biases that reduce the likelihood of candidates getting hired.

[~Tiamat~ (imported)]

I did wonder when they'd be doing this. Although outside a few specific applications I fail to see why anyone would want to put their gender as "transexual" :/ Doesn't that defeat the whole point? For intersex and the myriad of other non-binary identities it makes sense...

I totally agree with fhunter and on top of that imagine the creepers and chasers you'd get :O Surely the best thing they did was the option of hiding your gender, although I guess you still have to put one or the other when you set it up :S

If I were an employer, why should I give a rat's ass about someones gender?All I would care is if that person can perform their job well and on time

You're forgetting the world is run by effectively drunken three year olds in adult bodies. They aren't interested in how well you can do your job. They want your soul. The houses and big cars that come with upper management jobs are just symbols of how many people they can fuck around and tell what to do. Otherwise, what's the point? The cars are fucking ugly as all hell. Yes, they discriminate, they discriminate a huge amount. I swear to god a lot of them actually get off on shoving people around and making employees' lives as awkward as possible. Haven't you heard of presenteeism and "people like us"?

If you go into employment thinking you can work hard, be intelligent, and be nice to everyone, and that will get you far, you are going to end up in a huge mess. Sorry xxx

[daifu-orchid (imported)]

Someone very old and very wise once told me to "follow the money".

Social websites, in common with many if not most sites needing some form of registration, are here to make money.

The easiest money is advertising and advertising needs to be targeted, with personal info.

Sale of personal info has been denied and proved by Facebook and too many others. They have easy money to make; all they have to do is get away with it -and they do. A lethal combination of gullibility and greed makes sure of it.

-So be very careful what is divulged in a registration. Yes, right or wrong, social websites are checked by potential employers, and anyone else who thinks they might have an interest. -Often, for a fee, even more info is obtainable so easily. Do be careful.

[only3inches (imported)]

So now anyone who is anything other than male or female can be outed by others and there family told i will let those that i want to know that i am bi sexual yes i am not ashamed about who or what i am but i will let people that i want to know what my sexuallity is

[~Tiamat~ (imported)]

So now anyone who is anything other than male or female can be outed by others and there family told i will let those that i want to know that i am bi sexual yes i am not ashamed about who or what i am but i will let people that i want to know what my sexuallity is

The issue isn't with being outed, this is information you're publically divulging, and it's nothing to do with sexuality (well, except in the minds of those who see transexuals as super-crossdressers or something) it's to do with gender. The whole disclosed point as I see it would be to let friends and families see. The knockon effect as fhunter and daifu have said is employers simply will not employ you.

I think it's very important for a small number of non-binary identifiers (who am I to say, given I'm not one, but I know how important it is for me to be able to tick "F" so I'm imagining it's the same.) It is going to cause problems though. And for transexuals, you might as well give us a "kick me" box. I'll be continuing to tick "F" wherever appropriate. It's the whole reason I'm transitioning!