Gender Anonymity .

[modeller]

I know this isn't News as such but I have just read this in CB and being as it applies to a number of us I thought I would sound out the News' ABers. I'm sorry if it's been raised before but I haven't seen it. The CB question is :
//How well do we know each other???//
Why do some ABers hide their gender ? They don't declare it in their profile or actually lie and their Avatar implies a totally different gender. I understand the value of some anonymity it allows us to express views which we may not want our neighbours or colleagues to know about . It also allows us to be devils advocate at times, but why hide or imply a totally different gender.
It makes it difficult at times to answer some questions as without knowing the gender they don't make sense or put it another way they would make more sense if you knew the gender.

[bednobs]

if someone is lying about their gender, how would you know?? And if you did know, they are not a very good liar!

[ChuckFickens]

I'm androgynous.

[craft1948]

I'm Leo................

[tamborine]

I'm a tomboy

[modeller]

bednobs
//if someone is lying about their gender, how would you know??//
Because they subsequently admitted it .

[modeller]

I liked your answer Chuck // I'm androgynous. // although I did have to look up the meaning of the word. Maybe you should edit your profile.

[Haggisdj]

I'm Spartacus...

[ladyalex]

I am Spartacus

[wolf63]

I wanna be Spartacus too - do I have to change my gender to male? No problem !

;-)

[jackthehat]

There are many ABers who target their scorn for their fellow-contributors specifically along gender-lines.
It makes it quite interesting to remain non-committal about your gender and then weigh up the change in responses once your gender has been revealed....

[anneasquith]

i have a male avatar and a female name, i dont see any reason to hide my gender.

[jno]

I'm from Middlesex.

[anneasquith]

cheeky wee devil. :)

[society]

I've asked Ed several times to change my AB name to my real name but I was totally ignored.

[woofgang]

When I first went online, it was all bulletin boards and green screens and dinosaurs stalked the earth. most of the other folk online were computer nerds at unis fuelled with too much coffee and testosterone and admitting that you were female invited all kinds of "witty" banter. I used woofgang as my username and just kept it for years although there is only here and one other site where I use it now. I don't hide my gender and certainly don't lie about it but that is why I have a non gender specific name..

[ludwig]

We don't know each other. Your profile says male but no-one knows if that's true or not. You could say, 'But it is true', but no-one knows if that's a lie or not, so it's meaningless. I could be a man or a woman - Actually I'm a man, but again I could be lying, so it doesn't matter what I say or what my profile says.

[society]

Exactly Ludwig...

[anneasquith]

ludwig, i was sure you were female. :)