44 replies to this topic

[RayBuc]

Hi, I'm new here so I don't know if this has already been discussed... When I was creating my account it asked for my gender and gave me the options of male, female, or "I'm not telling". I don't want to start on politics here, but as somebody who identifies as nether male or female I feel like the third option should say something else (even "other" is better!).

[Kevin]

This is not a political site. If you believe you are other than Male or Female, then pick one that suits you best or not telling. Nobody is going out of their way to fix the gender options for the signup.

 

Please, if you identify yourself as the "nether", feel free to take it to a political forum.

[T.C.]

Hi, I'm new here so I don't know if this has already been discussed... When I was creating my account it asked for my gender and gave me the options of male, female, or "I'm not telling". I don't want to start on politics here, but as somebody who identifies as nether male or female I feel like the third option should say something else (even "other" is better!).

That's just the forum software settings. If you or someone else here "feels" to be another, then simply leave it at "not telling." 

[Martialis]

deleted

Edited by Martialis, May 6 2020 - 2:35 PM.

[RayBuc]

I was just suggesting a less offensive word change, that's all

[Martialis]

I was just suggesting a less offensive word change, that's all

 

How is it offensive?

[Batspiderfish]

I don't expect ant-keepers to understand the nuances of gender and how such a topic is separate from biological sex which, physiologically, in of itself, is not hard-coded nor binary. We understand that many people have conniptions when movements are forwarded to make the smallest accommodations for people who live different lives. I am sorry that your welcome is less than stellar. I recognize your identity and hope we can make a small change to improve profile features.

Edited by Batspiderfish, January 12 2018 - 1:26 PM.

[Martialis]

I don't expect ant-keepers to understand the nuances of gender and how such a topic is separate from biological sex which, physiologically, in of itself, is not hard-coded nor binary. We understand that many people have conniptions when movements are forwarded to make the smallest accommodations for people who live different lives. I am sorry that your welcome is less than stellar. I recognize your identity and hope we can make a small change to improve profile features.

 

Will you please teach us, then?

 

 

 

 

I don't really see how gender matters on an ant forum, personally.

Edited by Martialis, January 12 2018 - 1:41 PM.

[T.C.]

I don't expect ant-keepers to understand the nuances of gender and how such a topic is separate from biological sex which, physiologically, in of itself, is not hard-coded nor binary. We understand that many people have conniptions when movements are forwarded to make the smallest accommodations for people who live different lives. I am sorry that your welcome is less than stellar. I recognize your identity and hope we can make a small change to improve profile features.

I don't see how the fact we are ant keepers, has anything to do with our acknowledgement on this matter? It's simply a hobby, and plays no role in other circumstances such as this.

[drtrmiller]

The options given were supplied by the software company, not the owners of this forum.  If it's something that can be easily changed, I'm sure the owner wouldn't mind adding a "Non-Binary" option.  If the software options can't be expanded, but the gender option can be disabled, that might also help to assuage future concerns.
 
As an aside, it's extremely troubling how members of this forum would be so condescending and hateful to your simple request for inclusion and recognition by means of a small change to the gender selection box—especially in the chat room, where I observed outright contempt for you as an individual, adding to the frequent homophobic and racist remarks and slurs I've also observed from others in past discussions.
 
While it is critical to the continued growth of this community that we make every aspiring antkeeper feel welcome here, the reality is that these sorts of positive discussions and requests are likely to trigger some of our more sensitive members to post intolerant remarks, or to proceed to ask questions in bad faith, as evidenced by some of the responses thus far.  Consequently, it is probably best if requests of this type are directed to the forum admin dspdrew through private message, rather than put forth for public discussion.

[Martialis]

I mean, if it's causing this much trouble, we can just remove the gender option entirely..

[Martialis]

This chat message embodies I am saying:
 

[Batspiderfish]

Ok, here comes the sex ed that geneticists wish more people had. A disclaimer, though: I am a cisgendered person and am lacking in full representation of this subject.

Your body is a result of your genes and your environment. Your chromosomes house your genes, but they are not directly responsible for how those genes are expressed -- that task goes to RNAi's, DNA methylation, nucleosome packing, and a variety of other systems which work outside your DNA. You can be assigned male at birth and have an XX chromosome or assigned female with XY. You can also have both male and female features (intersex) with either set. Sometimes genes will hop from one chromosome to another. X and Y do not represent two separate aspects of sexuality; in fact, X and Y each house male and female genes, as well as anti-male and anti-female genes. How your body ends up forming depends on the balances of hormones which some of these genes code for (they can also come directly from environmental sources). Your body expresses hormonal balances differently throughout your life. Sexual characteristics do not always develop uniformly throughout the body.

"Biological sex" is not anybody else's business except possibly the person's doctor.

Gender is the social role of human polymorphism. Western cultures heavily influenced by the Christian definition of gender will often think of it as binary male/female, and expect individuals belonging to either group to look and behave in a certain way. Islam also embraces this dichotomy, but recognizes that which group a person belongs to is not always clear and allows the individual to adjust this. Hinduism and Buddhism recognize androgynous and agendered classes in addition to male and female. Gender is a result of culture -- it doesn't matter what kind of body you have; gender is how you fit into society. The social dichotomy of male and female is not objective. Sometimes people don't even wish to participate in cumbersome gender roles.

I am sorry about the ant-keeping comment -- I was very annoyed at RayBuc's welcome. It's not like any of you would be affected by this change nor be a part of the work of making it.

Edited by Batspiderfish, January 12 2018 - 3:23 PM.

[ctantkeeper]

I'm sorry if you feel that you are being under represented. I speak for all of us here on formiculture when I say that we all respect one another and those outside of our community no matter, ethnicity, creed or religious background. Our interest in ant keeping has no affect on how we treat and respect our fellow human beings and anyone who says otherwise is posing a false image of our community. I hope that you find all that you are looking for and I am glad to welcome you into our little group. It's not much, but the people are nice and welcoming (for the most part) and are often quite knowledgeable. happy to have you aboard .

Edited by ctantkeeper, January 12 2018 - 3:17 PM.

[nurbs]

I grew up as an Asian minority. As a child, I used to want to be white with pretty blonde hair and blue yes, because that's what all my role models and superheroes in the media showed. Whenever they did show a minority (Asian) on TV or in the movies, it was either stereotyped or was the butt of a joke. Being the only Asian kid attending elementary school in South Carollina, I was ashamed to be Asian. I have since learned there is nothing to be ashamed about.

 

It is even worse when you're a minority of minority of minorities (example - a black biological male that identifies as a female who also really loves ants such as Dorymyrmex), it's even harder for the majority to understand your point of view because they've never experienced it.

 

Don't let all these comments deter you from making more posts and joining the discussion, RayBuc! All these people here who have commented are actually good, decent folks. They just have never been in your shoes and experienced your point of view. 

[ctantkeeper]

I grew up as an Asian minority. As a child, I used to want to be white with pretty blonde hair and blue yes, because that's what all my role models and superheroes in the media showed. Whenever they did show a minority (Asian) on TV or in the movies, it was either stereotyped or was the butt of a joke. Being the only Asian kid attending elementary school in South Carollina, I was ashamed to be Asian. I have since learned there is nothing to be ashamed about.

 

It is even worse when you're a minority of minority of minorities (example - a black biological male that identifies as a female who also really loves ants such as Dorymyrmex), it's even harder for the majority to understand your point of view because they've never experienced it.

 

Don't let all these comments deter you from making more posts and joining the discussion, RayBuc! All these people here who have commented are actually good, decent folks. They just have never been in your shoes and experienced your point of view. 

It might not seem like it, but I know how you feel. I have mild autism and often have trouble with certain aspects of communication such as recognizing body language and speech patterns. For most of my life, I have been physically beaten and harassed by my peers for being different. My fascination with ants and other invertebrates certainly didn't help me with my situation. It's hard to step out of your own perspective and see what life is like through the eyes of others. People will judge you for breaking a certain mold or for not accepting the status quo, but others will respect you for who you are despite or even for the differences / quirks that set you apart. Life lesson : Try to hang out around the latter and except that those pertaining to the former are only a vocal minority.

[JasonD]

 

 

It is even worse when you're a minority of minority of minorities (example - a black biological male that identifies as a female who also really loves ants such as Dorymyrmex), it's even harder for the majority to understand your point of view because they've never experienced it.

 

 

 

 

This disgusts me. Everyone knows Solenopsis is the only genus worth keeping.  

 

Thanks for sharing your perspective Nurbs. @OP I don't see why "other" shouldn't be implemented.  

[T.C.]

I am sorry about the ant-keeping comment -- I was very annoyed at RayBuc's welcome. It's not like any of you would be affected by this change nor be a part of the work of making it.

I assume since I was the one who made the statement after your first post, that this was directed towards myself? To make things clear, all I stated was as follows. "That's just the forum software settings. If you or someone else here "feels" to be another, then simply leave it at "not telling." There was nothing wrong with this statement and I in fact welcomed RayBuc in the original introduction post. Do I feel as if the changes need to be done? No, to be honest and that is for personal reasons. But  I don't care one way or another and drew can do whatever he likes on this matter. Also, just so your aware I took biology. I know how it works for the most part, although I might need to do a little research as a refresh. My views haven't even been stated on this matter as not only do I lack the time, but it's simply not something I am willing to discuss with some people.

[Chicken_eater100]

i don't think gender matters too much in the ant keeping hobby.

[T.C.]

i don't think gender matters too much in the ant keeping hobby.

"Gender" has nothing to do with this hobby, as I have stated.  However the changes are being considered. This topic was a while ago, so no need to keep re-bringing up this thread. If the changes are made, this or another thread will be updated.

Edited by T.C., May 22 2018 - 6:21 AM.