[Inedible]

Originally Posted by amandalouise

for example I just changed my status to F/L/W/M/LCSW .....female/lesbian/Wife/mom/ therapist credentials.

People are supposed to guess what that means? You have both F and M. How are we to know that you mean female and mom rather than female and male? W usually means white and I would have guessed L meant Latina / Latino.

[-jimi-]

If gender identifies who I am so you know who you are talking to, I would say you need also give the other information which is there when you meet in real life, like what race you are, body shape etc.

[Inedible]

That is the "slippery slope" strategy. It argues that something that starts out seeming minor or insignificant leads to a chain of events that becomes something major.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by Inedible

People are supposed to guess what that means? You have both F and M. How are we to know that you mean female and mom rather than female and male? W usually means white and I would have guessed L meant Latina / Latino.

lol true but I was using those letters as an example that you can put anything you so choose in the status line. its like a facebook status where you write what ever you want others to know.

anyone that wants to share their gender or race or sex orientation or what ever can find a way they are comfortable putting it with in their profiles or their status..

another example is peoples profiles. the profile page has a tab called ....about me....anyone that wants to share their gender, sex race, age what ever can do so by writing in their profile. it only takes a few seconds for someone to click on a members name and then click on their "about me" tab to learn all that member wants to share about their self.

and like someone else already stated ...a member who really wants to know other members genders can send that member a private message and ask them.

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by Buttercup..

I think it would be a good idea if we had the option to show our genders and those who don't want to then can choose not to too, Like they could show "Not telling"

You have that option - it is in your signature. . I list age and gender because I want to - the option is available without new features.

In general, if one can do what one wants with existing features, without adding new features, it is the way to go, because it is more lightweight. True, signatures can be blocked/suppressed, but still, the point remains - one cannot add and add and add features and options until the cows come home.

[Evening]

I'm a little surprised that people are going on about 'why should gender be important', etc.
I agree that the option of publicly displaying your gender if someone chooses to is a good idea. It's not just about using gender neutral comments, but if someone is talking about, say their relationship with someone, knowing that you are talking to a man or a woman, can help with giving advice. I don't think I would want to PM someone or ask what gender they are, I'd feel a little awkward. I've actually had to ask someone before if they were a man or woman and it didn't go down well.
I mean if we have the option of sharing our disorders on our profiles, or showing what country we're from, or how many posts we've made, then hey, the option of showing gender fits right in.

[-jimi-]

If you need to tailor your answer to if a person is a she or he, you are probably narrowing out a lot of good advice right there.