Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Facebook moves to gender inclusivity in U.S.
From press releases
2014-02-13

This article shared 3239 times since Thu Feb 13, 2014
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email


In a move that will make great strides in supporting young people with a range of gender identities, Facebook Feb. 13 announced it has expanded the way users can identify their gender on their profile.

The need for the social media giant's change is bolstered by a new report released today on gender-expansive youth — or young respondents who identified as transgender or chose "other" and wrote in their own terms — published by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation in partnership with Gender Spectrum.

In a survey of 10,000 LGBT youth, nearly 10 percent of respondents fall into the "gender-expansive" grouping — underscoring the need for moves like the one Facebook announced today. The report further analyzes the results of a groundbreaking survey of LGBT-identified youth first reported in "Growing Up LGBT in America." Of the 925 gender-expansive respondents, one-third identified as transgender and two-thirds wrote in their own terms, such as queer, gender-queer, gender fluid and non-binary.

"Over the past few years, a person's Facebook profile truly has become their online identity, and now Facebook has taken a milestone step to allow countless people to more honestly and accurately represent themselves," said HRC President Chad Griffin. "Facebook's action is one that I hope others heed in supporting individuals' multifaceted identities."

Unfortunately, the data also reveal that many of these gender-expansive youth find themselves in an environment that is not supportive of their health and well-being. Less than half ( 43 percent ) of the gender-expansive youth report having an adult in their family they could turn to if they felt worried or sad. And gender-expansive youth are much less likely to report "definitely fitting in" in their community than their peers. Only 5 percent reported "definitely fitting in," with 30 percent reporting "definitely not fitting in."

The report shows that only 4 percent of the gender-expansive youth reported being "very happy," nearly seven times less than their peers. Nearly one in 10 gender-expansive youth reported being "very unhappy."

Some of the report's other key findings:

More than four in 10 ( 42 percent ) gender-expansive youth report "frequently" or "often" being called names involving anti-gay slurs and 40 percent report being excluded by peers "frequently" or "often";

— Nearly half of gender-expansive youth ( 49 percent ) reported experimenting with alcohol and drugs, double the rate of their peers;

— More than 50 percent of gender-expansive youth reported "never participating" in the majority of activities listed in the survey ( e.g., sports, church/religious youth groups and service organizations ). If it weren't for after school activities, online LGBT community and school Gay Straight Alliances, gender-expansive youth would not be engaged in activities that build confidence and social skills.

"The rising tide of equality cannot leave anyone behind, and this new report shows that we've got to work harder than ever before to make sure that every young person is guaranteed an equal future, no matter their gender identity or expression," said Ellen Kahn, Director of the HRC Children, Youth and Families Program, and a professional social worker. "These teens have incredible honesty in the way they express themselves, and the caregivers in their lives have a lot to learn from them. It's up to us to ensure that they have the networks of support and understanding that every child needs to thrive."

"This report reminds us how critical it is for each of us to discuss these important issues with the youth in our lives" said Lisa Kenney, Executive Director of Gender Spectrum. "You don't need to be an expert. It really comes down to doing three things: educate yourself on gender; create a safe space to discuss and explore issues related to gender identity and expression; and advocate for greater gender-inclusiveness in your community."

Examples of youth identifying outside a binary have been increasingly highlighted in the media. Lori Duron, author of Raising My Rainbow, wrote on HRC's blog today about her young son's experience as a gender-expansive youth, pointing to this report as a clarion call to adults to do more for these youth.

The report is being released at the HRC Foundation's inaugural Time to THRIVE conference, a gathering of more than 600 youth-serving professionals focusing on building awareness and cultural competency, learning current and emerging best practices, and gathering resources from leading experts and national organizations working with LGBT youth. Time to THRIVE is being co-presented by the National Education Association and the American Counseling Association, and sponsored by AT&T.

This report, part of a series of efforts to analyze the landscape for LGBT youth, includes a call to action for parents, caregivers and educators of gender-expansive youth. A full copy of the report is available at: www.hrc.org/youth-gender.

Gender Spectrum provides education, training and support to help create a gendersensitive and inclusive environment for all children and teens. We provide an array of services designed to help families, schools, professionals and organizations understand and address the concepts of gender identity and expression, including how society's current definitions of gender can be detrimental to any young person where they do not fit neatly into these categories. Our collaboration results in the ability to identify and remove obstacles hindering youth, allowing them to be valued as their authentic selves.

"This new feature is a step forward in recognizing transgender people and allows them to tell their authentic story in their own words," said GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis. "Once again, Facebook is on the forefront of ensuring that the platform is safe and accessible to all of its LGBT users."

"Facebook users from across the country have been asking for the ability to reflect their gender accurately, and today Facebook showed they have been listening," said Allison Palmer, GLAAD's former Vice President of Campaigns & Programs who worked on the project with Facebook and current GLAAD staff. "Facebook's new gender options will make a difference to many transgender and gender nonconforming users, who are now empowered to accurately describe their own identities on the platform."

Facebook's custom gender options include many common terms used by the transgender and gender nonconforming communities. While the set of options is not comprehensive, the company will continue to work with LGBT organizations to improve the set of options and respond to user need. Transgender people face staggeringly disproportionate rates of discrimination, as well as higher rates of suicide.

According to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality:

- Ninety percent of transgender and gender nonconforming people report harassment, discrimination and mistreatment on the job;

- Forty-one percent of transgender people reported attempting suicide, compared to 1.6% of the general population.

According to the Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network ( GLSEN ):

— Nearly half ( 42 percent ) of LGBT youth reported being harassed or bullied online, three times more than non-LGBT youth. 27 percent reported feeling unsafe online.

- One in four LGBT youth ( 26 percent ) said they had been bullied online specifically because of their sexual orientation or gender expression in the past year.

Abbe Land, Executive Director & CEO of The Trevor Project, which operates crisis intervention and suicide prevention services for LGBTQ youth nationwide, including a social network,TrevorSpace.org specifically for these youth, released the following statement about the new policy:

"Safely being out online and safe expression of one's gender identity are among the top areas of concern for youth who reach out to us. As a member of Facebook's Network of Support since 2010, The Trevor Project is very excited about the social network's move to allow users to express their true gender in a safe way. Studies show that the stronger a person's support structure, the more likely they are to reach out for help when they need it. Until today, the options for youth to expand their social support network online were limited. For many LGBTQ youth, The Trevor Project's social networkTrevorSpace.org has been their only option for expressing their true gender identity when online. Facebook's newly expanded gender identity policy means youth can choose how to safely expand their support structures and safety nets through social media.

"Today's announcement has already begun a conversation, and for some, the questions may be challenging. The Trevor Project is here, 24/7 to answer the calls or questions of LGBTQ youth in crisis and who need support at 1-866.488-7386 ."

Here is a blog post from a transgender engineer named Brie Harrison at Facebook: www.huffingtonpost.com/brie-harrison/custom-gender_b_4783221.html .

For more information visit: www.glaad.org/blog/facebook-introduces-custom-gender-field-allow-users-more-accurately-reflect-who-they-are .

The official Facebook note is available here: www.facebook.com/facebookdiversity .


This article shared 3239 times since Thu Feb 13, 2014
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Oprah, Niecy Nash-Betts honored at GLAAD Media Awards 2024-03-15
- Oprah Winfrey and Niecy Nash-Betts were honored at the 35th Annual GLAAD Media Awards that took place in Los Angeles at The Beverly Hilton on March 14. Winfrey received the Vanguard Award, introduced by iconic Chicago ...


Gay News

UPDATE: Nex Benedict's death ruled a suicide; family responds 2024-03-13
- A medical examiner's report concluded that the cause of death of Oklahoma student Nex Benedict (he/they) was suicide, media reports confirmed. Benedict—a 16-year-old transgender student—died Feb. 8, a day after ...


Gay News

State Rep. Kelly Cassidy attacked on social media, allegedly by backers of Burke 2024-02-26
- Illinois state Rep. Kelly Cassidy—a supporter of Cook County state's attorney Democratic candidate Clayton Harris III—posted on social media that a backer of Eileen O'Neill Burke, who's running against Harris ...


Gay News

Chicago Bears hire first woman assistant coach 2024-02-21
- The Chicago Bears are hiring Jennifer King as an offensive assistant, according to The Chicago Sun-Times and other media outlets. She will be an assistant running backs coach. King—who will become the first female assistant coach ...


Gay News

Oprah Winfrey, Niecy Nash-Betts to be honored at the 35 annual GLAAD Media Awards in LA March 14 2024-02-20
--From a press release - Los Angeles, CA -Feb. 20, 2024 - GLAAD announced that global media leader, producer, philanthropist, actress and author Oprah Winfrey will receive GLAAD'sVanguard Award and Emmy-winning actress and producer Niecy ...


Gay News

GLAAD releases report on LGBTQ+ inclusion in video games 2024-02-19
- LGBTQ+ media-advocacy organization GLAAD has released a report on queer inclusion in the world of video games. Among the key findings in "Gaming: The State of LGBTQ Inclusion in Video Games" is that 17%—nearly one in ...


Gay News

Second Glance Productions hosts LGBTQupid Soiree 2024-02-16
- In celebration of Valentine's Day, Chicago based film and media production company Second Glance hosted The LBGTQupid Soiree. The event, which was focused on spinning attitudes on this particular day, was presented at The iO ...


Gay News

GLAAD finds missed chances for LGBTQ+ inclusion in Super Bowl ads 2024-02-12
--From a press release - Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024 — GLAAD is reacting to a lack of LGBTQ storytelling in ads that aired duringSuper Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11 and is reminding brands, corporations and advertising agencies why including the LGBTQ ...


Gay News

GLAAD, NFL host third annual pre-Super Bowl event 'A Night of Pride' 2024-02-08
- On Feb. 7, LGBTQ+ media-advocacy organization GLAAD, along with The National Football League (NFL), hosted the third annual "A Night of Pride" at Caesar's Palace in Super Bowl LVIII's host city of Las Vegas, a press ...


Gay News

GALECA announces nominees for the Dorian Film Awards 2024-02-07
--From a press release - Feb. 5, 2024 - GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, consisting of over 500 entertainment critics, journalists and media icons, today announced the group's democratically chosen nominees for its 15th Dorian Film Awards. All of ...


Gay News

GLAAD remembers Cecilia Gentili, transgender Latina, actress, activist, health care activist, journalist 2024-02-06
--From a press release - (New York, NY - February 6, 2024) GLAAD, the world's largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, is responding to the death of transgender actress and advocate Cecilia Gentili and elevating voices of transgender and political leaders honoring ...


Gay News

Comcast NBCUniversal partners with News is Out, Word In Black on fellowship program highlighting Black, LGBTQ+ issues 2024-02-06
--From a press release - Digital Equity Local Voices Lab Fellows to be placed at 16 local publications to receive training and create content Philadelphia (Feb. 6, 2024) — News is Out [ https://newsisout.com ] , a queer media collaborative of ...


Gay News

Tara VanDerveer becomes winningest coach in college basketball 2024-01-22
- Stanford University women's basketball coach and gender-rights advocate Tara VanDerveer became the college-basketball coach with the most wins ever on Jan. 21, media outlets reported. After her team defeated Oregon State 65-56, VanDerveer has 1,203 ca ...


Gay News

GLAAD announces nominees for the 35th annual GLAAD Media Awards 2024-01-21
--From a press release - Following its acceptance of the iconic Governors Award at the 2023 Emmys Ceremony presented by the Television Academy, GLAAD announced the nominees for the 35th Annual GLAAD Media Awards. The GLAAD Media Awards honor media for ...


Gay News

Northwestern grad Calzada joins Windy City Times team 2024-01-16
Windy City Times news release - Lu Calzada has joined Windy City Times for a five-month fellowship position funded by Northwestern University's Local News Accelerator project. Lu graduated with their master's in journalism from Northwestern in 2023. During their time at NU, ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.