Facebook New Gender Options?

[WolfMist]

So Facebook's new gender options have recently come to the UK. This is great and I'm really happy for the people who don't just identify as male or female. However, I've noticed that one of the options is "asexual". This is really confusing to me. I'm asexual and it's a sexual orientation, not gender. Am I missing something or has Facebook made a mistake? Thank you if you clear this up for me! :) xx

[-deleted-]

Well an education network exists for a reason now doesn't it?

Here in the US there is a custom option. But in serious ness Facebook needs to expand there understanding beyond sexual or romantic interests. I'm sure that there advertisers would love to know more about what I'm actually interested in.

[Moon Ace]

You're right... It's probably something someone suggested, and a Facebook bod must have thought 'oh yeah... let's add this...' Odysseus is right too though. I'm not prepared to let everyone on facebook know all about me, or anything about me. The most cynical amongst us will think that Facebook is a massive marketing research effort, and they may be right. I wouldn't go that far, but still.

[the bumbling rotifer]

Well, there was a recent petition to get asexuality represented on facebook, so I guess it could have come about in response to that. It's a shame they didn't do any research into what asexuality actually is though, i.e., not a gender.

I've sent them an email about it, but they're pretty open about the fact that they don't even read their emails, so I seriously doubt it will come to anything. There was another thread on this that had an article about the new gender options, and referred to an organisation that had helped facebook to put the new gender options together, so maybe I'll dig that out and email them.

[KokoroKitty]

Well, there was a recent petition to get asexuality represented on facebook, so I guess it could have come about in response to that. It's a shame they didn't do any research into what asexuality actually is though, i.e., not a gender.

I've sent them an email about it, but they're pretty open about the fact that they don't even read their emails, so I seriously doubt it will come to anything. There was another thread on this that had an article about the new gender options, and referred to an organisation that had helped facebook to put the new gender options together, so maybe I'll dig that out and email them.

You might have found it, but the two organisations were Press for Change and Gendered Intelligence.

[the bumbling rotifer]

Thanks! I send this to Gendered Intelligence:

Dear sir/madam,

I was interested to read the article in the independent that your organisation helped facebook to compile a list of more than 70 gender options for their UK users. As an agender user of facebook, this came as very welcome news, and I greatly appreciate the work that you have put in to ensuring that people of all genders are now represented.

As a member of the asexual community, however, I was disappointed to see that 'asexual' is now listed as a gender option. Rather than being a gender, asexuality is a sexual orientation (one which is characterised by a lack of sexual attraction), and it is being misrepresented by having asexual listed as a gender option. I fear that having it listed as a gender option could prove damaging to people's understanding of our already poorly-understood orientation.

I am aware that it is very difficult for individuals to raise legitimate concerns such as this with facebook, on account of the fact that they are inundated with emails from users.
I would, therefore, be very grateful if you could raise these concerns with facebook on our behalf.

Many thanks for your assistance with this matter.

XXXX

For more information on asexuality, please see www.asexuality.org

[the bumbling rotifer]

Good news - Gendered Intelligence replied to me and said that they will raise this issue with their contact at facebook :D

In case anyone from Gendered Intelligence ever reads this, thank you!!

[Moon Ace]

Thanks! I send this to Gendered Intelligence:

Dear sir/madam,

I was interested to read the article in the independent that your organisation helped facebook to compile a list of more than 70 gender options for their UK users. As an agender user of facebook, this came as very welcome news, and I greatly appreciate the work that you have put in to ensuring that people of all genders are now represented.

As a member of the asexual community, however, I was disappointed to see that 'asexual' is now listed as a gender option. Rather than being a gender, asexuality is a sexual orientation (one which is characterised by a lack of sexual attraction), and it is being misrepresented by having asexual listed as a gender option. I fear that having it listed as a gender option could prove damaging to people's understanding of our already poorly-understood orientation.

I am aware that it is very difficult for individuals to raise legitimate concerns such as this with facebook, on account of the fact that they are inundated with emails from users.

I would, therefore, be very grateful if you could raise these concerns with facebook on our behalf.

Many thanks for your assistance with this matter.

XXXX

For more information on asexuality, please see www.asexuality.org

Did you put kisses at the bottom??? ;-)

[Agustín]

Hm, nice observation. There is a definite difference between gender and sexuality.

[bluetaelon]

Umm being asexual IS a gender issue and was long before is was also used sexually. An asexual genderwise is someone who does not ID as either male or female, they are both and neither. Remember, gender is in your mind, sex is between your legs and when the 2 dont match you run into issues.

For example my gender is asexual and it causes issues socially because I dont behave in a matter thats typical of my sex but yet my traits are not enough to put me as male either and sometimes ppl dont know how to deal with that. Now on top of the gender issue you have a persons sexuality with the most common options being gay, straight or bi and as we all know asexual so while im sure you would like to call dibs on it being an orentation issues its also a biology issue and one that has been a long fight to win.

[KokoroKitty]

@bluetaelon I think what you're describing would be called bigender or agender/gender neutral etc.

[Fire & Rain]

Umm being asexual IS a gender issue and was long before is was also used sexually. An asexual genderwise is someone who does not ID as either male or female, they are both and neither. Remember, gender is in your mind, sex is between your legs and when the 2 dont match you run into issues.

For example my gender is asexual and it causes issues socially because I dont behave in a matter thats typical of my sex but yet my traits are not enough to put me as male either and sometimes ppl dont know how to deal with that. Now on top of the gender issue you have a persons sexuality with the most common options being gay, straight or bi and as we all know asexual so while im sure you would like to call dibs on it being an orentation issues its also a biology issue and one that has been a long fight to win.

You mean agender?

[pegasusoftraken]

Umm being asexual IS a gender issue and was long before is was also used sexually. An asexual genderwise is someone who does not ID as either male or female, they are both and neither. Remember, gender is in your mind, sex is between your legs and when the 2 dont match you run into issues.

For example my gender is asexual and it causes issues socially because I dont behave in a matter thats typical of my sex but yet my traits are not enough to put me as male either and sometimes ppl dont know how to deal with that. Now on top of the gender issue you have a persons sexuality with the most common options being gay, straight or bi and as we all know asexual so while im sure you would like to call dibs on it being an orentation issues its also a biology issue and one that has been a long fight to win.

I must admit to not coming across asexual being used to describe not identifying as female or male before, and personally use agender or non-binary to describe the same thing. And to me it makes more sense to use asexual for the sexual orientation as similarly to homo-sexual, bi-sexual, hetero-sexual it refers to sexual attraction. And agender makes more sense for the not female or male identity as it relates to gender rather than sex.

[bluetaelon]

Ive rarely seen agender used and mostly used here. Asexual on the other hand ive seen used to indicate gender for at least 20+ years with several new words to describe it come into play. It wasnt used to indicate sexuality until AVEN came about.

[bluetaelon]

Just ignore me, im still wiped out from yesterday and my brain isnt fully functional but I will say that androgenous and asexual were interchangable where Im from. Its only recentally I started hearing agender cis what ever.

Grr sql errors are getting annoying

Just ignore me, im still wiped out from yesterday and my brain isnt fully functional but I will say that androgenous and asexual were interchangable where Im from. Its only recentally I started hearing agender cis what ever.

Grr sql errors are getting annoying

Just ignore me, im still wiped out from yesterday and my brain isnt fully functional but I will say that androgenous and asexual were interchangable where Im from. Its only recentally I started hearing agender cis what ever.

Grr sql errors are getting annoying

[bluetaelon]

What the?

[littlepersonparadox]

Yea iv been getting SQL errors too it piping up all over aven. I haven't heard asexual used in reference to gender only sexuality, this is the first time I heard it in response to gender and I think most people who are like that respond as being agendered at least where I'm from.

[WolfMist]

I've never heard asexual used to describe gender. What I hear when people are referring to what you described is agender (which Facebook also has as well as asexual).

[Guest]

Asexual has been used for not having a sex for a long time. Though, I didn't think that applied to gender identity as much as physical sex, but I suppose it could. But, yeah, every word has multiple meanings.