In a coup for all Ts, Qs, Is, and everyone else on the non-gender-normative spectrum, Facebook has finally decided that one is allowed to be more than just "Other."
The site has just launched new profile options under Gender, with "Male," "Female," and "Custom," the latter being new, allowing for one to define one's gender however one sees fit. Also, there's a drop-down menu for pronoun preferences, "Him," "Her," or "Them." There are also standardized options under the Gender field including "Gender Variant," "Gender Questioning," "Gender Fluid," "Agender," and "Bigender."
Some may be glad to see that they didn't choose to go with the more complex and less familiar gender neutral pronouns ze (pronounced zay) and hir (pronounced heer, in place of him or her), while some likely will be unhappy about that.
The move has won immediate applause from the trans and queer community in particular. "For many of us, it is very important to be able to identify as a genderqueer, non-binary, gender fluid, or gender nonconforming person," says Tracy Garza, Co-Chair of the San Francisco Trans March. "These changes will allow many more Facebook users to be our authentic selves online."
Speaking to the Transgender Law Center, transitioning Facebook employee and contributing engineer Brie Harrison says, "We at Facebook believe that an open and connected world will ultimately make the world more accepting. This change may only affect a small number of people, but to them, it’s the beginning of something that makes a world of difference." Brie happily changed her gender today from Female to TransWoman.
Obviously, this will have Fox News and Focus on the Family in an uproar for the next 24 hours or so, causing the increased handwringing of many an elderly conservative in a landlocked state. Jeff Johnston of Focus on the Family has already told the AP, "Those petitioning for the change insist that there are an infinite number of genders, but just saying it doesn't make it so."
[Facebook]
[TransgenderLawCenter]
[AP/HuffPo]
[NY Post]
