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Gender, Biology and Language
Nov. 5th, 2010 08:53 amSo, there is OUTRAGE about deviantArt offering only "male" or "female" as gender choices in registration. No, I don't wish to join in the outrage on behalf of people who psychologically consider themselves not to have a gender. Certainly not going to throw around inflammatory phrases like "bigoted jerks".
What I'm wondering is why the heck should one have to specify one's gender in the first place? The only reason I can think of is that there is something in the software that has to decide what pronoun to use. Why else do they need to know? So that they can treat you differently depending on your gender? That's discrimination. Sexism. I get enough of that crap already as a woman geek. So think again, peoples.
(I've just changed my profile on DW in regard to gender to "rather not say")
What I'm wondering is why the heck should one have to specify one's gender in the first place? The only reason I can think of is that there is something in the software that has to decide what pronoun to use. Why else do they need to know? So that they can treat you differently depending on your gender? That's discrimination. Sexism. I get enough of that crap already as a woman geek. So think again, peoples.
(I've just changed my profile on DW in regard to gender to "rather not say")
