this is what we call timing: LJ GenderFail

[rm]

LJ is about to require that all users specify whether they are male or female. This will apply both to new account creation and existing accounts. The current "unspecified" option will be removed.

Requiring people to specify their gender is surely just an attempt to acquire demographic data either for ad sales or an attempt to sell LJ once again. However, this is probably a bad strategy -- leave the "unspecified" option and only 1% or 2% of your userbase will choose it. Tell us you're taking it away, and watch 20% of us choose it.

Why does this matter? Really?

Well, it says people like me don't exist (although I just discovered I didn't have unspecified selected until like ten minutes ago, so I fail there, just in terms of full disclosure and all that). It tells people that they know less about their gender than a company. And that the needs of advertising are more important than who they really are. It implies that people have a right to know what's in your pants (whether you're male, female or somewhere else on a spectrum) regardless of whether they'll ever meet you.

But particularly, it's unwelcoming to many LGBTQIA people, and LJ already has a history of being, at best, clumsy towards this community (a community of which I identify with more letters than not).

Additionally, it may be (working on links) once the code push goes through, after you choose your gender when creating an account, you can't change it later (can anyone confirm that gender is to be removed from the editable profile fields? commenters are discussing, may just be rumour, leaving in here for now). That's a lovely bit of bullshit there for people who transition to deal with; I wonder what "proof" LJ will require to change it -- if they'll change it.

And what happens to people who are basically forced to lie because of only two options? Lying on account creation is a TOS'able offense. Do you really think anyone should have to ask if their man or woman enough to be on LJ? Isn't this ludicrous? And offensive? And sort of a disaster?

Practically, this is one of those things that probably has no relevance for most of you. But for some of us it's a tiny little splinter that yet somehow manages to hobble. And for some of us, it's just simply everything.

So many of us learn to construct and define our gender on LJ. It's pretty tacky when they effectively ask us to lie about ourselves and claim it never happened.

Details and what you can do here: http://synecdochic.dreamwidth.org/366609.html

Comments

[elf]

It also requires that many people lie in the info they give LJ... which is a TOSable offense.

[rm.livejournal.com]

added. thnx

[virginia-fell.livejournal.com]

Edited my profile, sent feedback, and emailed the GM of US operations.

Thank you very much for giving me a heads up.

[marcmagus]

Additionally, once the code push goes through, after you choose your gender when creating an account, you can't change it later.

Source? They may well do exactly that, but it's not in the changelog entry synecdochic linked to, and I haven't yet seen anybody claiming that with a link to an appropriate changelog entry. The linked changelog entry seems to only affect new account creation [although I don't know the LJ codebase well enough to be absolutely certain].

This is completely full of Fail. WTF?

[toujours-nigel.livejournal.com]

Have signal-boosted. Will change info.

[rm.livejournal.com]

I don't even know at this point (Twitter, moving very fast, updates as I get them, but I'm seeing descriptions that say it's a field that will no longer be a part of "profile" for editing when you update your profile).

[kaffy_r]

I've changed the gender ID on my profile. I'll send an email to LJ and will post about it myself. What a hot pile of failtastic corporate-flavored fecal matter.

[chaos-by-design.livejournal.com]

I linked to this on Twitter. I hope that's okay.

This bugs me because I don't see any reason for them to require you to give any *more* information than you might already be comfortable giving. I don't even see the need for them to have your birthdate or your location or anything like that. As for lying on account creation being TOS'able, fine, but just to play devil's advocate: why shouldn't you be allowed to lie about yourself on the internet?

The whole thing seems honestly totalitarian to me. People need to be a lot more concerned about the effect that corporations and businesses have on personal liberty. Oppression isn't just a game for governments anymore.

[rahaeli.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's been added by grapevine: you'll still be able to change from M to F and vice-versa, but you will no longer be able to select Unspecified.

[rahaeli.livejournal.com]

Birthdate is to verify that LJ is in compliance with COPPA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children's_Online_Privacy_Protection_Act). Gender is for ad targeting.

[brewsternorth.livejournal.com]

Location is pretty much optional, since it's findable if you run a whois on the IP of a given poster; date of birth, less-so, since there are some comms where it's absolutely necessary that minors *not* be allowed to join, and the only way to tell minors and majors apart onna LJ is by date of birth.

[elffin.livejournal.com]

Thank you, very much.

[guruwench.livejournal.com]

Signal boosted and emailed LJ. My gender was already unspecified (I figure it's nobody's business).

[saoba.livejournal.com]

Profile was already set to unspecified, but I sent a polite but firm comment to feedback indicating my displeasure.

[chaos-by-design.livejournal.com]

I've seen other sites though that just ask you to verify that you're over 13, so I'm not sure if having your exact birthdate is necessary.

[rahaeli.livejournal.com]

I don't want to derail, but generally speaking, the FTC (who's in charge of COPPA compliance) considers a checkbox insufficient if a site allows for under-13 account creation but treats it differently (requiring parental permission, etc), and the FTC has also heavily fined sites for not retaining DOB to prove that the account holder is over 13.

[chaos-by-design.livejournal.com]

Okay, fair enough.

I just checked my profile

[newwaytowrite.livejournal.com]

It seems I choose unspecified because I thought it was not one of those necessary pieces of information in this format.

Will we all be getting a notice that we "must" select?

[catalysticat.livejournal.com]

ETA: never mind. I totally mis-read "shouldn't" as "should". *headdesk* consider my ranting redacted.

[bare-bear.livejournal.com]

That's really dumb. To hell with that! It's none of LJ's business. I resent being told I have to give personal information like that.

[bare-bear.livejournal.com]

That said, I changed my status and sent some feedback as well. Just to improve on my knee-jerk reaction above.

[marta.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to say that what you described isn't how it was intended to work, and the functions are still in beta. There are still discussions and changes being made (even before tonight).

We know it's a problem. I'd ask, though, that any communication or letters be kept to Feedback, though - it's the place where the most eyes can see each request and is available for all staff to review.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Excuse me? Are you asking me not to post about something that concerns the user base? Am I not allowed to post about LJ actions?

When there's clarification when LJ, I'll post a clarification. If you'd like to clarify to commenters here, feel free.

But last I checked, I was allowed to make this post. Do let me know if I am mistaken.

[britgeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

*sigh*

I can't believe the nitwits at LJ, sometimes.

Followed the link, done as suggested. Fingers are crossed.

[marta.livejournal.com]

Oh, no, I was talking about people writing to management instead of Feedback! I didn't mean to say that posting was any kind of problem.

Edit: Also, I'm not sure what kind of comment that I can have officially, since there isn't a decision on what to do yet, and we haven't got a place to make a statement - I just wanted to let you know it wasn't going to happen where there would be something forced on everyone all of a sudden. Anything else, I don't know - I'm sorry I don't have more.