Gender specifications on your Mumsnet account: update

[SarahMumsnet]

Morning folks,

Following on from last week’s thread about our asking you to sign up to Mumsnet as male or female, here’s where we’ve landed.

We’ve had a careful read of the thread, and done some more general reading around and investigation into how this is handled elsewhere, and we think the best way to proceed is to add the option “other” to the list of responses to the question of gender. Viz

Female
Male
Other (please specify) _

This is how lots of other sites navigate this, so we hope it’s not too controversial.

As ever when it comes to questions around gender, we’re aware that not everyone will agree, but this seems to us to be the most inclusive and sensible route to take.

Do let us know what you think.
MNHQ

Samcro

Men use Mumsnet. So do a lot of women who are not mothers. For many many reasons.

So don't be that person who makes non-mothers feel unwelcome.

Side note, but i thought the ovulation calendar was viewable by everyone? Isnt ttc why a large chunk of people come to the site - i figured that was why?

I certainly wasnt interested in it even when i was ttc, even though i am female, and im definitely not now!

I'm hardly offended by it, but it seems quite lazy to me if it is 'marketed' at me purely by me sex

I've never noticed the ovulation calendar tbh.

Why are you making such nasty and spiteful comments, Cote?

Fwiw, I ticked male many years ago. I have never ever considered myself male. So much for meaningful statistics.

I suppose the 'other' box helps if you are a pixie or fairy or some other kind of 'otherkin'

"So don't be that person who makes non-mothers feel unwelcome.'

I was just pointing out that its called mumsnet, so I assume anyone joining would expect it to aimed at mums. not that non mums shouldn't join.

Come to think of it I always go straight to Talk which would explain it.

Other useful tools? Packing list for an OFRS? What to do with an MN chicken?

Cote, that was nasty.

I am happy with "Are you female/male/other?" because I am female - my sex is female. I think it's better than starting the choices "is your sex..."

Wand care? Wing primping?

I found a fairy tucked into a hole in a tree yesterday. Perhaps I should go back and ask her.

Which "nasty and spiteful comments" bothered you today, Soup?

Is it that asking for self-proclaimed gender might not be useful for the purposes of advertising products like ovulation calendars?

Is it that 'sex' is a more useful indicator for those purposes?

Is it that trans people are likely to tick the box of their imagined sex rather than their real one? (Ego confirmed this with "trans people will still tick male or female irrespective of sex or gender. It's what we do " so not sure if you can object to it)

Ego got offended by "trans people like Ego" (although that is true, too - a fact Ego tells us all on a regular basis) so I asked MNHQ to delete that post last night. They should get around to it soon. I hope that soothes your feathers as well as Ego's.

Well, that's a politician's apology. My spreadsheet is on fire.

I'm not worrying, Ego. Feel free to say which part of my post you found was so wrong, and how it became OK once your name was taken off it.

Or don't. Nothing surprises me after I saw you force someone to change their nickname on here after you thought it was an insult to you.

Have a nice day and keep on ticking those boxes however you like

Re your thought game - Neither. I wouldn't think hanging out on a predominantly female website confirms my femaleness, and I certainly wouldn't keep doing it if it causes me pain and suffering.

Hope that helps (?)

You reported me saying 'have a nice day and do as you like

You reported me saying have a nice day and do as you like, with a smile? OK then.

Will do. I would say "Have a nice day" but you would report it. So, um, bye.

Thread police here, and i'm drawing a line under this. I get where you are both coming from, but reading you bicker is rather tedious.

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Cote

There was no need to include "like ego" in your post. Having done so, and made it personal, adding "fat lot of good" was nasty, yes.

I disagree with ego a lot, but your post wasn't necessary.