DeviantArt controversy

[yukinoomoni]

So, deviantArt has decided that there are only two genders than people are allowed to define themselves as. Source here.

What do I think about this? Oddly, I can see both sides, but in various degrees.

In the tiniest, smallest degree, I can see what they're doing: they're using the "scientific" argument to state that human beings can physically be only one or the other, and they would like all and any uses to define themselves as such.

But, the biggest, angriest, most frustrated and disgusted part is simply shrieking out, WHY?? Why does everyone need to do it? Why do they need people to be so finite? Why do they have to put every single person into a gender-specific box? By removing the third option, they're insulting and slapping every single person who identifies themselves as that "Other" - some of them probably years-long and loyal members. Why would they not only do this, but also be so obstreperous about it? As if they had done no wrong?

Now, while writing this, yamiloo informed me that she received word from another source that they are working to correct it. But while that's nice, I still don't understand why any of this - and all of this - was done in the first place. It's something, I think, all of the deviantArt users should think about.

Comments

[secondlina.livejournal.com]

I work in tech support for softwares that are linked to registrations and display galleries and databases.

I can see why they would want to define only the two basic choices. It makes things easier to manage. However, if the whole thing was coded already to include an "other" option, I believe them choosing to define a person's gender has nothing to do with human rights, but rather with advertisement and sales.

So I would not take this personally. I doubt they did this to anger people. It's probably just motivated by product placement and financial reports and reports of user lists. That, and the fact that certain programmers probably can't fathom what the "other" might be?

[caster13.livejournal.com]

They had an "other" option but got rid of it? Fixing something that ain't broke.

[mlik.livejournal.com]

They should just change all gender questions to "Do you have at a penis?" PROBLEM SOLVED. Because that's what we really want to know. If you have something you would call a penis, you answer yes. Otherwise answer no. Or lie. Who cares?

[mlik.livejournal.com]

BTW, I'm not asking if you are male, female, or other. I want to know, DO YOU HAVE A PENIS? This whole male/female thing started because people were too embarrassed to state what they wanted unambiguously. I'm not a fan of beating around the bush. Incidentally, not a fan of finding unexpected things in bushes either. ;)

[resonant.livejournal.com]

What about people who have more than one penis?

[mlik.livejournal.com]

I did consider this scenario, and these people would still have a penis, so they would pick yes. One concern is that gender-divided events like the Olympics might be dominated by penisless men and mtf transexuals, but they have other criteria for determining gender. Also, the hormone therapy might disqualify the atheletes as performance enhancers.

[secondlina.livejournal.com]

Although, I have to say, if it was already programmed as such, I really don't get why it was changed.

[avocado-love.livejournal.com]

Ugh. I started replying, but then it turned into a whole soapbox shit and I HATE slamming people with that in their own journals. So stay tuned for my answer in one of my posts.

[silverthunder]

They had an 'other' option and removed it? Yeah... that's all kinds of insulting. >.> I wonder what the heck the reasoning was behind that...