Facebook users now have the option to identify their gender beyond male or female.
On Feb. 13, the social media giant announced that the new update increases the gender vocabulary on users' profiles by providing around 50 different terms for people to describe themselves, such as gender neutral, transsexual, androgynous or bigender.
Users also have the option to choose which pronoun - her, him and them - they would like their friends to use. Like other Facebook profile features, the new gender options hold the same privacy settings such as public, private or only friends.
The new option is relevant for those whose gender identity may not fit in a male or female category.
A person's gender identity is the psychological sense of self as masculine or feminine and is not always the same as one's biological sex, according to the Oxford Reference Encyclopedia.
Sara Bridges is a Counsel Educations Psychological Research associate professor at the University of Memphis.
"What Facebook is doing is allowing people to represent themselves in the way that feels most natural and right to them rather than having to choose a binary that is not appropriate to what they feel inside," Bridges said.
For transgender and gender neutral individuals, this is a big step toward acceptance by those who don't understand gender issues.
Kal Dwight came out as transgender to friends and family Oct. 11, known as National Coming Out Day, with a status post on Facebook and a gender change to male.
"I always knew I wasn't on the normal gender binary," the 22-year-old Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center volunteer said. "I never felt like I was a girl and I felt like I was in drag in girl's clothes."
When the option became available, Dwight changed his gender on Facebook from male to trans male. However, he admits that he is actually more gender neutral than male.
"If I didn't live in Memphis, I wouldn't pick a gender," Dwight said. "But I want to work in politics, so I claim he."
Gender neutrality is a misunderstood issue, according to Dwight. He mentors individuals new to the MGLCC who struggle with issues surrounding gender identity and is an advocate for transgender rights in Memphis.
"I am proud when someone at the center admits to me that they prefer to be referred by the pronouns they, their and them," Dwight said. "If you don't feel like you are more 'him' or 'her,' that is just your identity. It's just who you are."
Whether it is through social media or telling friends or family, declaring a gender identity is a big step for a transgender or gender-neutral person, according to Bridges.
"It's a huge step to declare who they are authentically," Bridges said.
Bridges is currently developing a gender identity course at the University of Memphis. The class will train counselors and psychotherapists to work with the transgender population on the transition and gender affirmation processes.
The transgender community does not receive the same civil liberties as non-transgender Americans. They face obstacles in housing, health care, economic opportunity, education, documentation, federal prisons, family recognition and immigration.
The National Center for Transgender Equality is working to change federal policy in these areas to advance transgender equality.
"For the larger community to understand that there are people in the world who identify differently, this is a very nice step in the right direction," Bridges said.
