Yes, I think it often helps. The country would help too, we've had some real puzzles in Animals/birds etc and then discovered the person was on the other side of the world!
No...usually you can tell by the way people chat what gender they are, it
could also be a 'red rag to a bull' to certain people, as soon as they see the
gender.
I agree with birth dates, not years as that could offend people, and country,
sometimes we get an inkling in the way they chat, but it would be good to
know how far this site reaches.
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