59th state as Facebook adds ‘fill in the blank’ gender option for users

Facebook users who do not fit any of the 58 gender identity options offered by the social media giant are now being given a rather big 59th option: Fill in the blank. A Facebook announcement published online tells users that if they do not identify with the pre-populated list of gender identities, they can add their own. Facebook software engineer Ari Chivukula, who identifies as transgender and was part of the team that made the free-form option, says the change may lead to more widespread acceptance.

People are still fighting to make room for gender identity within the socially constructed binary of male and female. Labels and identities are powerful in that they give a sense of community, a way of articulating one’s experience.

Alison C.K. Fogarty, a gender identity researcher at Stanford University

In February 2014, Facebook expanded gender identity from male and female to a list of dozens of options, including Androgyne, Gender Fluid, Intersex, Neither and Transgender. Those choices will all still be available. People who choose a custom gender can also choose the pronoun they would like to be referred to publicly: he/his, she/her or they/their. Facebook has a setting for users to control the audience who sees their gender. Last year’s changes created an online stir, with thousands of comments — some grateful, others confused or hostile. But staff at Facebook said there was full support to take it even further this year, from CEO Mark Zuckerberg down.

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