# Gender?



## Aulë (Mar 14, 2003)

It has come to my belief there really should be a "gender" option in everyone's profile so that mistakes in gender do not occur.
In the male/female thread: http://www.thetolkienforum.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=267191 there have been many cases where members have been rather surprised to find out what gender a fellow member is.
I am getting sick of being presumed female, and I'm pretty sure that everyone else, males and females, are getting annoyed at being mistakened for the other gender as well.

A simple radio button option is all that is needed in the profile.
Some members may not wish to reveal their identity, so it would be better to have 3 choices; Male, Female, Unknown.

Your thoughts?


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## Ithrynluin (Mar 14, 2003)

I think that is a good idea Pip. There could be a small icon under the "location" and "posts".


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## Celebthôl (Mar 14, 2003)

something else strikes me on that thread...exactly (pretty much) 50% of the TTFers are Male and 50% are females, which i find really good as there isnt an overwhelming number of each sex.


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## reem (Mar 16, 2003)

i know how it feels to have your gender mistaken! but does it really matter? i find it much more comfortable this way. people join the tolkienforum not to meet people from the opposite gender. they're basically here for the sake of the common interest (i.e. tolkien and his works). and besides, once people know who's what they'll probably start hitting on each other...i think i know a few members who would do this...and i personally don't think it's very proffesional (if i may use the term) nor is it enjoyable. so why not ignore it when a few people mistake your gender and go on living like nothing happened...like, for example, ignoring it when people not only mistake your gender, but relate you to hot water pipe systems!! eh, pippin??!hehe
but seriously, i think that this is a bad idea.
reem


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## Idril (Mar 16, 2003)

Who do we approach about this?


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## Celebthôl (Mar 16, 2003)

id suggest either Ancalagon or Webmaster


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## Aulë (Mar 16, 2003)

reem,
I fail to see where you are coming from. You say that by revealing your gender, people will start hitting on each other???
I have been on many boards where there has been a gender tag in the member's info, and there have been no such problems there.
I never said that the person would have to reveal their gender, they would have the option of revealing it, and saving themselves from being mistaken as the opposite by other members, or, leaving their gender to be "unknown" to the rest of the forum.


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## Idril (Mar 16, 2003)

We don't need the gender posted on the front page - it could just be in the profile - that way if you're interested, you can check - also, a person will have the option to not disclose their sex. 

I must admit, I wasn't annoyed, just amused as Idril is a female name.

As for members hitting on each other - that shouldn't be allowed anyway, and can be reported to the mods.


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## legolasismine (Mar 16, 2003)

I agree sometimes I get confused with other people's gender but they never really get confused with mine.


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## FoolOfATook (Mar 16, 2003)

> As for members hitting on each other - that shouldn't be allowed anyway, and can be reported to the mods.



Whoa- that's one of those blanket statements that I tend to dislike, without some serious definition of terms. Are you referring to harrassment, or flirting? In what contexts? I mean, if this went into effect, how would we hold a "TTF Ladies' Man 2004" poll?


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## Idril (Mar 16, 2003)

Hey (holding hands in air) - I was refering to reem's concerns! as for your a "TTF Ladies' Man 2004" poll - well, I'll keep my comments to myself at the moment - I need to check out the foto album as see your pic first


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## reem (Mar 17, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Idril _
> *We don't need the gender posted on the front page - it could just be in the profile - that way if you're interested, you can check - also, a person will have the option to not disclose their sex.
> *



good suggestion, idril. ok everyone, i allow you to go on with this gender thing
reem


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## tookish-girl (Mar 24, 2003)

Well, me being the Tookish Girl, no one has ever mistaken me for a guy. But as someone who's gender is all too apparent it doesn't mean that people flirt or hit on me. At all. Not that's that's good thing.... 
If there's a choice then people can not disclose it if they don't want to but if they do it'll save alot of confusion. I thought menchu was a guy for a long time and it was months of knowing her before I found out she wasn't!


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## reem (Mar 25, 2003)

well i supose it depends on the people you come across. sometimes you just get loosers every now and then. but it doesn't necesszrily happen all the time and to every one. 
reem


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## Jesse (Mar 27, 2003)

That's a great idea! I think we should have a gender option in our profiles. I support this idea! Good one Pippin Took!


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## Idril (Mar 27, 2003)

So who's going to ask Anc or the Webmaster?


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## HLGStrider (Mar 28, 2003)

I'm notorious enough to be known as a female by now, but I had to explain it to a lot of people at first. It would be handy to at least have an option in the profile, if not on your actual posts. . . or is there one already? It's been so long since I signed up I've forgotten!


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## Aulë (Mar 28, 2003)

You mean that you're a female??? 

And no, there is no feature in the member profiles.


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## Beleg (Mar 28, 2003)

Is it very necessary to have a gender option? Some of us Obiously dislike to disclose their gender.... 

oh and congrats on your 1000'th post Pippin. It seemed like yesterday when you had about 250 or so posts.


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## Aulë (Mar 28, 2003)

As I said before, there should be 3 options for a members gender- Male, Female, and Undisclosed.

And thanks, it's what I get for getting involved in too many things


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## menchu (Mar 28, 2003)

> _Originally posted by tookish-girl _
> *I thought menchu was a guy for a long time and it was months of knowing her before I found out she wasn't! *


Thank you  Hehe!

I don't mind the gender option thing. Some people think I mistake them for someone of the opposite sex (ie Pippin Took thought I thought he was a female... but that was because my jokes are incomprehensible)
Nah, really, mine is a blank vote, for it's not such an important matter to me. However, I see the point you all show.


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## Idril (Mar 29, 2003)

Re: Gender option 

quote:
Webmaster wrote on 03-29-2003 09:38 AM:

I don't have a gender option, because, sad to say, we'd have scum prowling about, looking for teen (or younger) female members. Better to leave the gender of our members a bit harder to figure out.




> Idril wrote on 03-29-2003 09:08 AM:
> Dear Mr Webmaster
> 
> We have a couple of threads discussing either 'whether we are male or female) and if a 'gender option' on the profile page would help. General conscesus, this a 3 point question, Male, female, undisclosed.
> ...


__________________
David Averill-Pence
Administrator/Webmaster @ THETOLKIENFORUM.com

"If I am not obeyed, the spice will not flow."


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## Mindy_O_Lluin (Mar 29, 2003)

I don't think mine is ambiguous, but if yours IS ambiguous it may be because you want it that way, and if you don't like being mistaken why don't we just all just use a secret code in our title below our name. We could start our title with
F: title or
M: title

Then the rest of us will understand. 

So mine would be

F: Waiting for GOO Dough

But I don't need to do that since mine is not ambiguous.


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## Gothmog (Mar 29, 2003)

If you really want to state your gender in your profile there is an option which allows you to do so. It is in the Additional info section.

Biography:
A few details about yourself

This is information that can be read by other members of the forum when they look at your profile. There is no need to have any other way of showing this as it is up to each member just how much they want to tell others about themselves.


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## BranMuffin (Jun 10, 2003)

*Male or Female?*

I often wonder the gender of members also, and would be easier to post to someone if you could tell what gender they are. The responses are different for male or female. Plus it could clean out the Male or Female thread.*watches for tomatoes*


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## Celebthôl (Jun 10, 2003)

BOOO!!! *chucks tomatoes at Bran* 

Nah j/k, its a good idea, i think its been taken under advisment by WM as we speek, though in not sure. There were other threads about this someplace aswell


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## Idril (Jun 10, 2003)

There is the 'gender' thread here 

I asked the WM and he said :

Webmaster wrote on 03-29-2003 09:38 AM:



> I don't have a gender option, because, sad to say, we'd have scum prowling about, looking for teen (or younger) female members. Better to leave the gender of our members a bit harder to figure out.
> __________________
> David Averill-Pence
> Administrator/Webmaster @ THETOLKIENFORUM.com


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## Celebthôl (Jun 10, 2003)

And that is always the problem! Them...things...dont deserve to live...


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## BranMuffin (Jun 10, 2003)

Creepy people suck, things would be easier without them. Also, as stated there is a thread that people already openly tell their gender and there is also the photo album. I guess if you've been on the forum for long you start to know who is who and who is what. But what about the new members that join? We don't know what gender they are nor do they know ours. I guess we could greet them: "Hello. Welcome to the forum. Hope you like it here as much as I do. By the way, I'm a male. What are you?"...........ok now I'm starting to sound like one of those creepy people. Which I am NOT!(well maybe to some, j/k)


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## Niniel (Jun 10, 2003)

Yes, it's sad that such people exist and that they make it hard for us to know the gender of our fellow TTF members. For safety reasons I think we shouldn't have a gender identifier; people who want to make their gender known can say it in the Male/Female thread, or in the photo album.


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## BranMuffin (Jun 16, 2003)

Sorry Idril, I didn't look for a thread like this I guess. Doesn't matter now, the Mods moved mine into yours. I still think there should be a label in the profile but to mark it optional.


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## YayGollum (Jun 16, 2003)

Why does this matter to anyone? Are people actually that achingly sensitive about being called something they're not? Sounds crazy to me. oh well. Have fun with it. I just don't see a use for it. Or is it really that important to make sure that the achingly sensitive types never have to become indignant?


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## HLGStrider (Jun 16, 2003)

it helps when you want to refer to someone by the correct pronoun (gramatically they is not correct when refering to one person).


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## YayGollum (Jun 16, 2003)

Solution ---> Don't use pronouns, HLGStrider person. Achingly easy. Yay!


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## HLGStrider (Jun 16, 2003)

I like pronouns. . .blah. . .blah . . .blah. . .you have to snoop to find out a lot of times. . .


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## YayGollum (Jun 16, 2003)

Ah. You like pronouns. Snooping to find out takes more energy than just not worrying about it. Having this crazy option is convenient for snoops. Sounds good to me.


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## Helcaraxë (Jun 17, 2003)

GREAT IDEA!!! I hate mistaking peoples genders--its embarassing...


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## HLGStrider (Jun 17, 2003)

Though it is kind of fun to keep setting people straight about me being female. . .though the kitty avatars sort of give it away.


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## Idril (Jun 17, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Morgoth"sBane _
> * I hate mistaking peoples genders--its embarassing... *



You only need to do it once per person and you'll soon be corrected!  

But honestly, I don't think anyone is really fussed about it.


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## Chymaera (Jun 29, 2003)

Sex is overrated anyway

*If you want to use pronouns use female ones instead of male ones.* 

Because like that YayGollum person said "Snooping to find out takes more energy than just not worrying about it. Having this crazy option is convenient for snoops". Well I have to agree with her on that point and I am sure that you will too


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## YayGollum (Jun 30, 2003)

You'll have to agree with her? Argh! oh well. How many ladies act like me?


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## Chymaera (Jul 6, 2003)

I was just illustrating my point

and I can testify that you are no lady
(you did walk right into that one)


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## klugiglugus (Jul 13, 2003)

What if people want privacy about their gender?


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## HLGStrider (Jul 13, 2003)

They could pick the "no tell" option. It could be an optional option. . .


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