On the Internet no one knows if you’re really a cat.
But actually this is the only internet thing I’ve ever been on where everybody didn’t use their real names. So in those casesyou know who was what. Oh. Except for Chris, Courtney, Smith, Alex, Alix, Chris, Merle, and Simmons.
Hmmm…
I don’t think anyone’s ever had a hard time figuring out what I am. 
I say have it and make it optional. Those that prefer to put it up, can, those that don’t, won’t.
Simple.
Yes you are a zoog IRL 
So many double entendres in there… 
I have to say the text field is a good idea what with gender being fill-in-the-blanks (according to Kate Bornstein, anyway) and if an option were put in place, I would fill it out. If not, no problem.
But thank you Scruloose for starting this thread and reminding me: how’s about something like this…
I’m sure this is a subject that is important to some Dopers.
But not to me.
As far as I’m concerned, gender is not important.
Now, If you want to screen people by IQ, give me a call, and I’ll be in there with what I think is a minimum we should require for posting.
(Besides, if it was an optional field, people would just put in any smart-arsed remark they could come up with at that time. Just like location, et al.)
Gender? You brought 'er!
No, it’s “Gender? I don’t even know her!”
I guess nobody around here is into knowing things just for the sake of knowing them? I don’t think it’s necessary, but I’d be fine with it if it was an option.
Now why would fighting ignorance require a gender?
On the other hand, why should it require one to be genderless? I feel quite capable of fighting ignorance with a vagina.
Well, obviously not as a weapon - though the mental imagery is so absolutely priceless that I’ve decided against rephrasing the last sentence.
Well, it would fight your ignorance of the gender of a particular poster if you were not previously aware of their gender.
Earth-shaking, indeed.
Sorry to bump this thread. It’s just that upon looking at the Pit today, I discovered that apparently some folks are picking through other posters’ posts, and looking for inconsistencies. Why somebody would bother doing that to me, I have no idea, but just in case…
I’m not a 55 year old black male. I was just feeling silly the day I wrote that post.
And I can’t believe I felt the need to clarify this.
You didn’t need to clarify it. If you wanted to make a swipe, why not partipate in one of the Pit threads or start one of your own?
It wasn’t a swipe. It was just what I said it was–an explanation of an apparent lie.