He said, she said

[SilvrSurfr]

I vote for maximum anonymity, including gender. If someone wants to tell us their gender, they can do so in the context of a thread. Hammocks and the discussion thereof should be gender neutral.

[hutzelbein]

Just curious: how many of you are girls?

From a female perspective, I'm always happy to see another woman posting, and I would like to see more. I haven't seen any kind of negative reaction to posts from forum members who are clearly female.

I would see it as another option - just as the area you are from. Why is it important to hammock questions where you are located? It can add value. And it's optional. If the option was there, I would use it. Somebody not feeling comfortable with it could just ignore it. Adding a signature saying "I'm a girl" feels silly. Pointing out to somebody who answers "he said" that I'm not a "he" feels silly, too. Would you point it out if you were continuously addressed as a "she"?

[SilvrSurfr]

That's a slippery slope, gender. What next? Marital status? Gay or straight? Vegetarian or meat eater? Bikepacker, backpacker, kayaker, canoer and car camper? What about an option for those who want to provide their race?

Next thing ya know we'll have optional identification of whether we don't fall into the male/female category at all. Will there be a pull-down menu for pre/post-operative transsexuals? Are you a biological male becoming a female, or are you going the Chaz Bono route? Will there be an option for hermaphrodites?

Intersexuality, according to Wikipedia, "is a variation in sex characteristics including chromosomes, gonads, or genitals that do not allow an individual to be distinctly identified as male or female." Should we provide an option for them too?

[hutzelbein]

I'm really surprised to hear guys (I assume all the people who posted in this thread are male) speaking out this vehemently against something that wouldn't even really concern them. I you have a neutral name and no other gender indicators, pretty much everybody assumes you're male. Even with an option to indicate gender, it wouldn't concern males, since most people take them for males anyway.

I think there is a big difference between indicating gender (as an option) and marital status, sexual orientation etc. If you meet somebody on a hang, you probably won't see if the person is married, gay, vegetarian - but in most cases you would see if they are male or female. Actually, you would not see or know where that hanger is from, unless being told - but there's an option here to indicate that you're from Pennsylvania or Canada or anywhere else. People who don't feel comfortable about others knowing where they are from can simply ignore the option. But it sometimes helps to know who's posting. Are they living in a hot climate? Wet? Cold? Similarly I find it helpful to have an idea about who I'm talking to.

I'd be interested to hear the opinion of another female forum member. Maybe I should just change my forum name

[jwright]

I can see where in certain discussions gender would play a role (safety, thermo-regulation, privacy, etc) but except for a few specific topics, its something I don't want to think about. I want to think of the discussion members as hangers/hikers/backpackers/campers or whatever group applies. Now I'll admit to being semantically sloppy and occasionally/accidentally referring to a female participant as 'he' and I apologize for that. If there was a well accepted, gender neutral pronoun then that might not be such an issue.

everybody assumes you're male. Even with an option to indicate gender, it wouldn't concern males, since most people take them for males anyway.

Some of us don't, even if it does come across that way in our writing some times.
But ultimately you are right, it is your experiences and perceptions that count. As a male, this is something that has not affected me, so it is a little hard to get a handle on it. I would have no problem with the added field, I would have assumed () that on an internet forum women would appreciate the gender anonymity.

jason

[SwinginIt]

That's a slippery slope, gender. What next? Marital status? Gay or straight? Vegetarian or meat eater? Bikepacker, backpacker, kayaker, canoer and car camper? What about an option for those who want to provide their race?

Next thing ya know we'll have optional identification of whether we don't fall into the male/female category at all. Will there be a pull-down menu for pre/post-operative transsexuals? Are you a biological male becoming a female, or are you going the Chaz Bono route? Will there be an option for hermaphrodites?

Intersexuality, according to Wikipedia, "is a variation in sex characteristics including chromosomes, gonads, or genitals that do not allow an individual to be distinctly identified as male or female." Should we provide an option for them too?

Man, I really hope you're being facetious. Otherwise you're really heading out there with that one.

I'm with the OP on this one. The people it doesn't matter to can ignore it, just like some people don't list where they're from or what gear they're using. But for some people it would come in really handy. More handy than everyone knowing what kind of suspension I'm using. I know if people were always referring to me as her/she I'd be happy to have that option. I know I make it a point when I'm not positive on gender to make my references to a member gender neutral by using they're forum name.

I see absolutely no harm in having the option. It only helps those it matters to and has no effect whatsoever on those it doesn't matter to.

[old4hats]

I'm really surprised to hear guys (I assume all the people who posted in this thread are male) speaking out this vehemently against something that wouldn't even really concern them. I you have a neutral name and no other gender indicators, pretty much everybody assumes you're male. Even with an option to indicate gender, it wouldn't concern males, since most people take them for males anyway.

I think there is a big difference between indicating gender (as an option) and marital status, sexual orientation etc. If you meet somebody on a hang, you probably won't see if the person is married, gay, vegetarian - but in most cases you would see if they are male or female. Actually, you would not see or know where that hanger is from, unless being told - but there's an option here to indicate that you're from Pennsylvania or Canada or anywhere else. People who don't feel comfortable about others knowing where they are from can simply ignore the option. But it sometimes helps to know who's posting. Are they living in a hot climate? Wet? Cold? Similarly I find it helpful to have an idea about who I'm talking to.

I'd be interested to hear the opinion of another female forum member. Maybe I should just change my forum name

Nope, they weren't all male. I can't help smiling when someone trips over the gender thing, and it is easy to do. I actually try to make comments that are gender neutral unless I know for certain a forums members gender. Sometimes I'm successful.

[SilvrSurfr]

Man, I really hope you're being facetious. Otherwise you're really heading out there with that one.

I'm being facetious to some extent, but this year, "Germany became the first European nation to allow babies with characteristics of both sexes to be registered as indeterminate gender on birth certificates," according to Wikipedia. Yeah, it's out there, and complicates the concept of gender entirely, but we are an international forum.

There are people born with indeterminate gender, or they are transitioning from one gender to another. Just because they're in the minority doesn't mean they shouldn't factor into the discussion.

[hppyfngy]

I'm a guy. (not a fungi)

I have a female friend who runs a website geared toward but not exclusively for lady outdoor enthusiasts and I've used the site and I understand the feeling a bit, of being mistaken for another gender. (Actually as I have very long hair, I understand it in person now and then! )

I think it's pertinent in some conversations here, but not in most.

Location seems more pertinent and even more interesting, given differing conditions.

I wouldn't object to the option to state gender but as it isn't very specific to hammocking, I doubt it is going to be added as a feature.

[olddog]

I admit that on occasions I have checked a profile if in doubt. Sometime it's there, sometime it's not. I thought that was what the profile page was for.