As such, I do not assume that everyone else is the same as me. Since I teach critical thinking, I am well aware of the cognitive biases and fallacies that can lead a person to believe that what is true of herself is also true of everyone else. Or some other factor-I do not know for sure why I am this way. This might be due to biology or perhaps I merely conformed perfectly to the social norms. I’ve never questioned my sexuality nor felt that I was anything other than a straight male. Although this is just Facebook, having these gender identities recognized by the largest social network on earth is a mark of acceptance and is likely to have some influence in other areas.Īs I noted above, I comfortably occupy a traditional gender type. It exists for everyone and we are not all the same.Īs such, to those who do not neatly fit into the two traditional genders, this change could be quite significant. However, the world (and Facebook) does not (as Leibniz noted in one of his replies to the problem of evil) exist just for me. Given that some states have legalized same-sex marriage, the idea that Facebook has embraced gender diversity must be terrifying indeed. As such folks might see it, having Facebook offer 50 gender options shows that traditional gender roles are being damaged (if not destroyed) by the media and Facebook. However, a little reflection on the matter made me realize that it is actually of some importance.įor those who are dedicated to the traditional genders, these options might seem to be signs of the moral decay of the West. Honesty compels me to admit that I initially laughed at the 50 genders of Facebook-in fact, I thought it was something cooked up by the Onion. For folks like me who are comfortable existing within an old school gender identity (in my case, awesome straight male), these fifty options might seem to be of little or no importance. While mocking Facebook can be amusing, the subject of gender identity is an interesting subject and it is a sign of the progress of our society that this can be a matter of legitimate concern. If this is the case, that Facebook is still rather limited in its options. However, my colleagues who specialize in gender matters assure me that there is an infinite number of genders. Upon learning of these fifty options, I was slightly surprised because I was not aware that there were fifty options. However, I suspect I will need to endure the pain of being limited to a mere 50 options. Since I am awesome gendered, I believe that Facebook should offer that as choice 51, but only for me. These include the old school heterosexual genders as well as the presumably Spinoza inspired pangender. Facebook now offers its members to select from among 50 genders.

Facebook 51 genders