WOUB quotes College of Arts & Sciences Student Jesper Becholt in a story on Facebook gender options. Becholt is majoring in English and Women’s and Gender Studies.
For the last five years of its existence, Facebook has only allowed users to identify as either “male” or “female.”
Now, after working with LGBT advocacy groups, the site allows users to customize their gender and choose from a list of about 50 different gender identifiers….
“It’s nice to have a recognition of here’s the words I use for my gender, not a blank space not just ‘other,’ here’s the word I prefer,” said Ohio University senior and LGBT member Jesper Beckholt.
Beckholt identifies as pan-sexual, and explains that these options will encourage people to look up gender identifiers that they do not understand.
“I’m pretty out in every aspect of my life, and it makes it easier [because] if I have a random friend on Facebook they can see my gender and my preferred pronouns and know that, and I don’t necessarily have a big conversation with them,” Becholt said.
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