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?

The middle ground is to provide options for gender and sex.

Why an idiot, Lurking?

Because:

Horrible word which I forbid my child to say.

Forbid ? Rather OTT ? If we're trying to ban words, I'd like to see an end to poverty. It's a word which should have no place in the 21st century.

You should know better. It's hardly idiotic to question something which one feels is wrong.

The OP wasn't questioning, they were directing. As far as I am concerned "gender" is a perfectly valid word used to indicate the outward physical manifestation of differences in an organisms sex-determination system (since not all species have an X-Y system. Plants spring to mind). "Sex" can also be used, but since it has a wider meaning (as a verb) it seems sensible to have a narrower word to hand.

I am aware there has been a groundswell of debate over the nuanced issues of sex, gender and (self) identification. It might make more sense to address those issues before tackling the semantics. And if that's ever going to happen, it's unlikely it will be in Am I Being Unreasonable. Because it's Am I Being Unreasonable, not Am I Being Unreasonable and the internet gender linguistic politics discussion group .

Anyway, I have invested more time than interest would suggest in this thread. But I tend to be antipathetic towards attempts to police language. This isn't France !

Male/Female refers to biological sex. Cows/cats/crickets etc are male or female.

I agree MN should know much better!

Best comment of the thread (and on this tediously repetitive 'look at me' scenario)

Man I'm so sick of reading about this gender sex thing. Get a fucking life or find somewhere that panders to you

Gender binary my arse.

Some of our work forms ask for sex. Off the top of my mind I can't remember if there are various boxes to tick. I know there is a space for comments or other because I've been tempted to write "not often"

I take the point OP but I think it's overly pedantic. This forum is very inclusive and broad of mind. I think a gentle and polite email to MNHQ is probably the way to have gone and it probably isn't too. late.

Best wishes. Beau

You know I'd never thought about my user name being both male and female until very now. I chose it for Margaret Beaufort who did such great things for education I like to think of myself as one of her "girls".

But I tend to be antipathetic towards attempts to police language

But changing sex to gender is precisely that!

Yanbu

It should be what sex are you (non changeable)
And what gender do you identify as - male, female, nothing (fluid, unrelated to biological sex)

I agree with OP.

Come back with a real issue OP. I must admit I prefer sex

Sex/gender are the same ...in my eyes. You either have a penis or vagina.

The Iranian national women's football team go by 'gender' not 'sex'.

Eight of the team are biologically male.

Gender is bullshit.

It might make more sense to address those issues before tackling the semantics. And if that's ever going to happen, it's unlikely it will be in Am I Being Unreasonable.

Small steps

To be fair to OP it does say "gender" on the account options.

It used to be sex.

i am a bit with this genderising tendency. Pretty sure hospital forms still use sex.

If gender is bullshit, how can you be transgender? Or genderfluid, or genderqueer?
Are they all bullshit?

The options should include sex: male/female/opt out
gender:female/male/neither/opt out

I remember when Sex was used on forms. Then some middle class chatterati types objected to it, and lo! Sex stopped existing.

I do prefer to answer to Sex and not Gender (because, yes, it is a different thing) but I can't be bothered to worry too much about it.

Maybe MN could offer Gender's choices as
Female
Male
Sex with a further subdivision of Female and Male there!

Do you think it's changed because on forms which said 'sex', so many people were writing 'yes please!'

What gamerchick said.

I genuinely opened this thread thinking it was a joke.

Start your own forum and do what the hell you like with it. Or take ownership of the balls you undoubtedly possess and be whatever you like regardless of your gender/sex and without making it everyone else's problem.

All the shit that's going on in the world and Mumsnet is what you get angry about. Are you, in fact, a parent? Or is that too binary for you?

Oh FGS

A transwoman on bbc breakfast was outraged that her GP wanted to log a pre op transwoman as Male on meducal reports. Do they not understand it's a waste of time calling her for a smear test or breast cancer scan.

Why didnt you contact mums net personally state your complaint or did you just fancy an attentiion seeking whinge your sex is part of your gender whether you like it or not because you are personally offended or not really isnt going to change that.

I'm tired of this tendency to fix an issue where there's none to be fixed.

Nothing wrong with sex.

I hate that I feel thick that I thought sex and gender were the same. Not that I had ever given it a thought until I read threads like this one..