I agree…maybe tiny drawings of genitalia? 
One of the boards I go to has tiny gender symbols next to the posters’ names, and they’re optional. I wouldn’t mind it if it was like this here. Especially when it comes to posters who mostly lurk. You can almost always tell a frequent poster’s gender by their posting history, but with people with few posts under their belts, it can be confusing. Particuarly if they’re asking for advice where the comments would skew differently for different genders (There was a recent thread where most people thought the OP was the oposite gender and changed their advice after learning their mistakes).
Um, I got nothin’ against putting up a drawing of my genitalia, but I can damn sure promise you “tiny” won’t figure into it.
You’re a woman, right?
Only when I post at LezBoard.com, Darryl.
I have to write non-gender specific, and I-don’t-even-know-what-tense-specific policy, memorandums, and correspondence for a living (I’m an Air Force Executive Officer for a General and a Colonel at the same time). I am constantly writing in third-person, even when writing in the affirmative:
“The applicant indicates a desire to proceed with the current TPS plan.”
or
“The 4077th/CC agreed with the policy as set forth by the Colonel.”
I have no problem continuing this on the boards, and as a matter of fact, I think the Dope has helped me perfect that gender-neutral writing. As a result, I don’t think specifying gender would do any good on the Dope. As a matter of fact, I like the fact that I don’t know who I’m talking to–I have that disconnect that allows me to take every posted opinion/thought at face value.
Tripler
You want non-gender? Tripler thanks you for reading this thread.
Did they put a cover sheet on it though?
Like Anaamika, I tend to believe that most people look at names ending in vowels as being ‘female.’ I’ve had, I think, one case of mistaken gender identidy since I started posting on the Dope. I corrected the person in question, quietly, more because I didn’t want her to think I allowed her misapprehension to continue than because it bothered me. (I’m male, btw.)
I think, if it matters to the poster to be identfied as specific gender, they should make the effort to put it into their profile or location tag. If it doesn’t matter enough to the poster to do that, I think anyone else should assume they’ll be forgiven for any mistakes.
And if someone wants to know, they can always ask.
Yes. Yes she does.
-Signed, Trevor (who fell into that trap before)
I can’t imagine how this would ever be considered a good idea. In gender-specific threads, people tend to disclose gender as it’s needed. Why else would you need to know?
We don’t have race or age indicators, and again, I don’t see it as necessary at all. If you have to know, ask the person. I think most posters know my gender and race, but I like to be able to opine on a number of issues as Hippy Hollow, not “that guy” or “that Black guy” or “that thirtysomething.”
Location is helpful because we’re often talking across the world, in different contexts altogether, and it helps to know where someone’s coming from (and yes, I know that same argument can be used to support gender indicators)…
Hmm. I always thought you were male - something about you just screams it.
Since we are free to pick our own usernames and decide what level of gender hints we choose to put in them, I think calling for a specification of such is probably as pointless as the location tag. Folks are just as likely to not take a gender one seriously either.
Although I am all for Autolycus getting a ladle icon…
Poor Auto, he’s becoming the new Hal. (though I’m not sure either really mind)
No. People tell you if it relevant and you ask. Many like the gender neutality of the board for general questions.
I actually started out trying to reveal as little about myself as possible. Such a tag would annoy me.
If it’s important, and not implicit in the rest of my post, I’ll mention it.
If not, I’d really rather keep my gender obscured. I never LIE about it, but I’d rather be taken as the wrong gender than be prejudged by my gender when I happen to enter topics, or make posts, that some people might inexplicably interpret differently depending on which sex I am.
Of course, some people will know, but I generally assume most of them would at least know me well enough to not make the incorrect interpretation, although I know there will be those who still make the mistake.
Bad idea and unwarrented.
Pre-discerning if someone is Male or Female in an answer on an Anonymous message board is hardly important.
Unless you require to use it as leverage for or against an argument.
In which case you have already lost the moral high ground.
A nudie pic under each post would be nice.
However if the poster was old, overweight or generally unattractive this could also detract from the sentiment of there original post 
I’d just as soon not see any ASL indicators here.
I’m sorry.
Age Sex Location
Just in case like minded folk might want to meet and get into hijinks together.