to object to MNHQ forcing a MALE/FEMALE gender binary on my account.

[HairyLittleCarrot]

I don't have any GENDER.

My MN account forces me to pick from two 'genders'.

I can't even opt out, it's a forced binary choice.

I'm not agender, pangender, cisgender, transgender, male gender, female gender or ANY GENDER.

If you want to know my sex, I am happy to provide that information. But you'll have to add that in as a field, because it doesn't exist currently.

Sex and gender are not the same thing. If you insist on collecting data by gender and making it a forced choice I would like an option as follows:

"Reject gender as a harmful, made up, bullshit concept".

Then when you analyse your account database you can say
X% identify as female gender
Y% identify as male gender
Z% reject gender as a bullshit concept.

AIBU to request MNHQ to alter my account details so that they do not misrepresent me?

sorry, no time to read the 26 pages of comments on this, but I am genuinely curious what the difference between sex and gender is? I've always thought they were synonymous when used in this context, but sex also has another meaning which is why I think people opt to use the term gender. I could use a dictionary but this seems to be an issue where people's approach to the language is changing so not sure a dictionary would help me.
There have been intersexed people from the dawn of time no doubt, so you'd have to at least have that as an option too unless you want to pretend those people don't exist.

Trian, Sex is biology, so XX=female, XY=male. Female producing the big gamete (egg) and male the other (sperm). In mammals, females will carry the offspring and nurse it.

Gender is what the concept of woman or girl entails and male what men and boys are. Simplicity rules so girls will be the pink, lots of sugar and spice and all that and boys the movers and shakers. Which is precisely why so many (myself and, I believe, OP included) reject the concept of gender.

biboergosum
in good faith, I want to understand you better. I agree with your last post.
Sex: biological reality: unchangeable
Gender: stereotypes (that don't actually fit most people)

For the sake of argument, let's say your preteen is a boy.
He knows that he's a boy, he understands his biology is male and that girls have a female biology. So he understands that he can never be female. And you've brought him up to understand that there's no such thing as girlbrain or boybrain.

In what way is convinced he is the other gender, then? Is it that he likes pink and is all sugar and spice - because that is the 'girls gender role'? He 'would make a great girl' if 'girl' is defined as

What do you tell him when he defines the characteristics of the opposite gender? What do you say to your child when he announces that he would make a great girl because this is what girls are like?

Because when my children accidentally repeat a gender stereotype they have heard (or a race stereotype, or any other) I correct them pretty sharpish that the whole idea is nonsense and I don't allow them to perpetuate myths such as "girls are like this" or "only boys do that". And we talk about examples.

How is it that your child is challenging your views rather than the other way around?

*[reverse sexes or genders as applicable]

Yes, Op, I did just that. Like you (I think) I believe gender is an artificial concept suffocating us all. And yes, I have from day 1 tried to fight it. For a young child however, gender is somewhat less theoretical for lack of a better word. There appears more to it too, they reject the biological reality of what their body is and what it will grow into.

I didn't mean to derail your thread though, I do broadly agree gender is an artificial construct that shouldn't exist. I was only pointing out for some people it might be useful to have a gender rather than a sex identifier. Ideally, there should be neither on mn to register.

And looking at a bright eyed youngster who so far if asked what they identify as answers "Super-awesome" (and corrects people who are perceived to be mis-gendering). I wonder how people are going to react ten years from now when the last cuteness is gone. Is everybody going to pounce on them? They do pounce on Egosumquisum, don't they? Sorry, Egosumquisum I'm not trying to put you on the spot.

I would add- XX = female, XY = male, and a handful of specific, documented exceptions. There's no randomness and there is a limit to what can actually be. If a new combination was discovered it would be world scientific news.

Whereas genders seem to be invented all the time. The graphic, for example, reminds me of this. That's not to be snarky, but it's so indecipherable that I wasn't immediately sure on viewing it whether or not it was a joke.

It's just difficult to have an identity system which changes all the time and which is so complicated that nobody outside of the special gender club on tumblr can understand. If it helps somebody identify themselves, then fine, but expecting a layperson to understand seventeen variations on "Demiagender with demigirl" for example is just not reasonable. Nor, to be perfectly honest, can I see how it is relevant to anybody else. It's never going to catch on if it's too complicated to be understood even by people who are trying to understand it!

No, BertieBotts, genders are not invented all the time. They too much like sexes mostly come in two flavours. And not all of us fit, I do, so does my dp and one dc, and one does not.

biboergosum, can I ask how you would say gender and personality differ? I mean how you can tell your dc's behaviour and likes/dislikes are due to gender and not just down to personality?

I can't at all, whatdoIget. I tried to put it down to them just being them and I still do. They however do not and haven't for years. I would love nothing more than this being my over-interpretation or a phase, what could be easier? Maybe it is.

If it is not, I shall need to confront my idea of gender being a made up construct might not be right, but then I'll have worries a lot bigger than this.

Thanks for answering biboergosum. Do you mean to say that if it's down to what we call "personality" then it's nothing to worry about, but if the same behaviour is deemed to be "gender" then it's a big deal?
And I assume your dc is getting ideas about gender from websites? Sorry if I'm not understanding what you properly

whatdoIget, no, this child is too young to get their gender ideas from webpages. They are just completely refuting their biological sex. I always thought gender is made up and that was an easy thing to do since I was born XX and physically female, my partner XY and physically male. Both of us identify with biology here. DC1 (now a teen) does, too. DC2 really does not. Never has, I have really done my best to tell them the concept is meaningless and made up, but I think it is easy to say that if you are a good fit. They are not.

It sounds really difficult for you all. You probably already know that, I think, 80% of children who have these kinds of feelings are not trans when they grow up? I hope it all works out for your family whatever the outcome

Thank you, whatdoIget. I hope I'll forever remember just how out of joint one can feel. Even if the baby turns out to conform in the end. I used to be quite throwaway about this gender business, as said before, no big deal if you fit.

I don't think hairy carrot has thought this through. Think of the cost to the bureaucracy in France changing the Gendarmerie to the Sexarmerie

Oh who cares! Non-issue.

Oh who cares quite clearly a lot of people care.

I just received this survey from Reddit. Ffs the whole world has gone mad. "How would you identify your gender?". I would identify it as Bob the Builder. Morons .

Meanwhile, in the real world..

Not 'quite a lot' - a few mumsnetters. It is a non-issue. Get lives, complain about thngs that matter. Do something instead of being radicals from your armchairs.

And you know people that care about this issue are not doing something about it... how exactly?

I'm following the thread. I care. If anyone doesn't, they have my permission to fuck off and save the world in some other way.

My ds learned at 3 in nursery that "pink was for girls" and stopped wanting to wear his pink t-shirt (a top from a "boy's" range, just like his dad has pink shirts). Don't know if it came from staff or other preschoolers. Another dad told his ds that boys don't cry when he collected him and the little one was teary. So glad that the (male) nursery nurse contradicted him! Messages are all over from younger than we can imagine possible.

the messages are often reinforced by parents and other adults.

That's very true.