Facebook Gender Options: Social Networking Site Adds 50 Identity Choices, Here's How Users Reacted

By Carlos Garcia Feb 18 2014, 11:10 AM EST

As part of Facebook's campaign to support the LGBT advocacy, it has extended its gender identity options from male or female to 50 other terms. The said option is open to all 159 million users from the U.S. Some terms include androgynous, intersex, and transsexual.

This social media giant partnered with a group of LGBT organizations in order to finalize the said list. According to Facebook, they have decided to go for this partnership since they believe that people have to feel comfortable about themselves and their true identities. Therefore, the customized gender options will provide a bigger avenue for people to express who they really are and not just be limited by societal norms. Aside from the gender options, users are now given the opportunity to select the correct pronoun when referred to in public. Those who don't want to be identified with either a male or female role can choose neutral pronouns such as they or their.

If the users wish to share their gender choice to only a selected group of people, the said feature can be customized. According to Brielle Harrison, a software engineer in Facebook, the said change might not mean anything to many people. However, for the few who have felt its impact, it means the world. Harrison added that it is not comforting for transgender people like her to be given an option of either a female or male only. It is like making others dictate who they should be.

This move by Facebook received both praise and criticism. The LGBT community praised this announcement while some others questioned it on moral grounds. There are even those who questioned why people really wanted labels when in fact they don't want to be seen as different. Though critics have a lot to say against this move, Facebook stands by its decision. Many took to Twitter to announce that they had taken advantage of the new options.

"Now a 'Cis Woman.' Thanks, Facebook!" and "Holy fucking shit Facebook is actually trying to fix the gender nightmare I'm super impressed", by @sharonw and @rupazero respectively, were two of the many supportive posts. Although the AP did interview someone who said "It's impossible to deny the biological reality that humanity is divided into two halves - male and female," very few have spoked out against the change, showing that times are changing.

Here's a complete list of the gender options, from Slate: