Google Plus adds new options for gender identity

Google is making it easier for those who don't identify themselves within the bounds of "male" or "female" on Google Plus. Rachael Bennet, a Google software engineer, announced via the social network that there are now more options for listing one's gender on their profile.

In addition to selecting male or female, Google Plus users will have the option of either inputting their own description or none at all. According to Bennett:

Previously, we provided options for "Male," "Female," and "Other," to encompass both those who don't fit into the traditional gender labels and those who don't want to declare their gender to the world at large. Now, the gender field on your profile will contain four entries, "Male," "Female," "Decline to state," and "Custom." When "Custom" is selected, a freeform text field and a pronoun field will appear. You can still limit who can see your gender, just like you can now. We'll be rolling this feature out for all users over the next few days.

Source: Rachael Bennett (Google Plus)

Dan Thorp-Lancaster