Gender Selection in preferences

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Kitti

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Hello everyone!

Due to a conversation on some of the options available under personal details, the admin trio got to discussing today what the benefit of having a field for gender is to the community as a whole. Other fields focus on story preferences and writing styles, things that make a difference about who someone is as a writing partner.

As we discussed, we decided that there were actually a few bonuses to getting rid of the gender selection field. For one, roleplaying skill and gender identity are two values that don't correlate with each other. If someone wants to clarify what they identify as in their About Me section of their profile, that is totally ok but people who would rather not don't need to feel like they have to select one if they aren't comfortable with the question.

Secondly, not having users easily sorted by gender is also an opportunity to discourage any members that might join Iwaku with intentions on hitting on members of a particular gender and make it somewhat harder to target a specific gender grouping with sexual overtures. This hasn't been a rampant problem on Iwaku but it does happen occasionally and can be avoided with this change.

Instead of making a selection that you might not feel comfortable with and disclosing your gender, we now offer a far tastier question for you to answer. Take a look at your preferences to see what has taken its place!
Due to confusion and silliness, the ice cream question has been removed. RIP ice cream, you were tasty while you lasted. - Jorick
 
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I actually preferred the gender option over the new option of icecream flavors. (What, no mint?)

Male or female was good for pronoun use. And "Person" was an option for people that didn't want to divulge that information.

Now, people have to put that information elsewhere if they want it known, and I will most likely call most new rp partners by the wrong gender for a long while...

That does not make me comfortable...
 
Hehe~ I think this is awesome!! Especially because I don't divulge my gender on the internet~ I always used the "person" option and I've always been willing to forgive people for calling me the wrong gender. Well... I actually don't really care what gender you associate me with, but anyway...

I'm glad the site has decided to go in this direction, especially since some people are not comfortable with divulging their gender or some people like to keep it a secret as to not be discriminated against for writing ability. I've never seen that happen, but I'm glad that the admin trio considered the possibility.

I'm also very glad that the admin trio brings up the 'members hitting on other members' point. I've never had it happen to me, but I have had friends on Iwaku who were discouraged from continuing their membership on the site. And that's super sad to me because I love this community! Although I'm not a super duper experienced veteran of the site, I always want my friends to have fun if they want to roleplay. Especially if it's on this site!

I hope that the community can come to love this change because I think it's a really amazing addition, even if it is minute!!
 
Male or female was good for pronoun use. And "Person" was an option for people that didn't want to divulge that information..

Aye. I will miss the convenience of quickly checking someone's profile when I'm not sure what pronoun to use. :/ Oh well. 'Tis a minor complaint, I suppose.
 
Um, ice cream flavor? Really?

I expected the write in or more gender options...

Now, I have to go around, asking people what their preferred pronouns are.

*kicks back with a sigh*
 
Those thoughts never even occurred to me. I actually never check any personal gender boxes, for privacy reasons, but yeah, I'd hate to be hit on by anyone randomly 'cause of that stuff. I really don't mind the box being gone though, there isn't really any benefit to having it in the first place.

Oh yeah, on the topic of profile options: How do we have Lesbian Ladies, but Gay Males? Hello? We NEED Gay Gentlemen. Gimme dem double letter names.
 
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You need more options. Ice cream is not something that can be relegated to just three flavors (much like how many people think gender can't!) And on top of that, I hate ice cream. >:(
 
You need more options. Ice cream is not something that can be relegated to just three flavors (much like how many people think gender can't!) And on top of that, I hate ice cream. >:(
We already know you're a potato though. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
There needs to be a "I don't like ice cream option/ I'm lactose intolerant" option for fairness.
 
You can always select 'no selection'. :3
 
Joke's on you guys, I love getting cookies ;D *noms happily*
 
Hmm. Not quite what I had in mind when I suggested replacing it with a write-in field. I suppose I'm not entirely opposed to this change, but I would have preferred simply making it a write-in option (which you could always leave blank or fill with something silly if you didn't want to disclose your gender), and it also means that people are going to have to be asking about pronouns all the time or accidentally misgendering people, because most people likely won't think to include their method of address in the About Me section.

Eh. Not the worst change (and I understand the reasoning behind it), but I don't think it was the best solution either.
Also, mint chocolate >>> all others, and now we have to make the ice cream section a write-in because ice cream isn't binary either
 
I'll admit, I will miss the pronoun advantage. And I can't help but feel that writing my ice cream flavor is somehow going to give people ideas about my sexual preferences Dare I put vanilla? Dare I put chocolate? #FearTheInternet :boxer:
 
I'll admit, I will miss the pronoun advantage. And I can't help but feel that writing my ice cream flavor is somehow going to give people ideas about my sexual preferences Dare I put vanilla? Dare I put chocolate? #FearTheInternet :boxer:

Well, if you're like me, you put vanilla, because a.) vanilla is hella delicious, and I'm also really f'n borin... I mean, uh, what?
 
I basically echo everyone else when I say I'm going to miss being able to quickly check profiles so that I know which pronouns to use, and that this new ice cream thing is a wee bit limited o.o I completely understand the members hitting on other members issue, though--in fact, the very first PM I received on this site was from a redstar male who has since deleted his account, and I'm fairly certain he tried to hit on me, but he left me alone when I told him I wasn't interested, so...yeah. I get the issue, but I'm not sure I'm very comfortable with the solution. Especially since I'm allergic to ice cream XD

-quietly selects strawberry because fruit flavors are best flavors-
 
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Is it just me or is the option not visible when you click on someone's name? Do you have to go in the profile information to see it? :o
 
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It's like with genders, you have to click their information tabs :3

@Pahn Pizza
 
It's like with genders, you have to click their information tabs :3

@Pahn Pizza
I meant like, with gender you could just click on someone's username, and have the little pop-up thing and it would show F/M :o
 
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