Facebook users don't need to be strictly a man or woman anymore. Facebook as we once knew, has offered its users two options for declaring their gender on the social network: male and female.
On February 13th, 2014, the social network introduces a third option, or to be precise, a set of options. Users can now choose their wanted gender in a list of more than 50 'available' genders such as "transgender," "cisgender," "gender fluid," "intersex" to "neither.".
However, the company did not publish a list of all the options, leaving users to begin typing into an empty text field in order to bring up a drop-down menu of autocomplete choices.
Another step Facebook introduces is an option that asks users what pronoun they prefer: "her," "him," or "them."
"When you come to Facebook to connect with the people, causes, and organizations you care about, we want you to feel comfortable being your true, authentic self," said Facebook on a post.
"An important part of this is the expression of gender, especially when it extends beyond the definitions of just 'male' or 'female,'" the post continued. "So today, we're proud to offer a new custom gender option to help you better express your own identity on Facebook."
To show respect for the occasion, Facebook has hung rainbow-colored flags from a catwalk at its Menlo Park headquarters.
"When you come to Facebook to connect with the people, causes, and organizations you care about, we want you to feel comfortable being your true, authentic self," said Facebook on a post.
"An important part of this is the expression of gender, especially when it extends beyond the definitions of just 'male' or 'female,'" the post continued. "So today, we're proud to offer a new custom gender option to help you better express your own identity on Facebook."
The company said that it worked with LGBTQ activist groups to compile the new list of gender-identity options. Facebook also added a new privacy option that lets users select who sees their gender:
Facebook, which has 1.23 billion active monthly users around the world, also allows them to keep their gender identity private and will continue to do so. The social network also tweaked its privacy settings to allow its users control with whom they would like to share their custom gender.
"While to many this change may not mean much, for those it affects it means a great deal," said Facebook publicist Will Hodges. "We see this as one more way we can make Facebook a place where people can express their authentic identity."
The update comes three years after Facebook added LGBTQ-friendly relationship statuses, including “in a civil union” and “in a domestic partnership.”
Facebook has shown a consistently progressive attitude towards gender and sexual preference over the year. The company won a Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Media Award for fair and accurate representation of the LGBTQ community and issues that impact it. To combat bigotry, it released stats noting that 70 percent of U.S. Facebook users have a friend who lists themselves as LGBTQ.
The reaction for this added feature on social media was largely positive, although some people joked they would need a dictionary to look up many of the gender-identity terms.
