OkCupid Profile has just announced a new feature that will allow people to share their pronouns on their profiles. This is a significant step forward in helping people connect and find love as their authentic selves.
This progressive dating site is partnered with impactful nonprofits like GLAAD and Planned Parenthood, and its commitment to inclusivity shines through throughout.
Gender-expressive options
OkCupid, one of the most popular dating apps, has introduced a new feature that lets users share their pronouns on their profiles. This option has been added to the app to help trans and nonbinary people have a safer and more inclusive online dating experience.
This is a welcome change for LGBTQ users, who often feel excluded by gender and sexual orientation options on mainstream dating websites. These sites are notorious for ignoring LGBTQ individuals and their diverse identities, putting them at a disadvantage when trying to find love.
Adding gender-expressive options to OkCupid is the company’s latest effort to include members of the LGBTQ community. The company was the first to introduce a space for sharing pronouns on their profiles and has now rolled out this new option.
As of June, the site has 22 gender options and 13 sexual orientation choices. This is a significant improvement over its previous options, limited to male and female genders and straight, gay or bisexual orientations.
But some users say it can be confusing and frustrating, especially if you don’t have time to read through your profile and choose a gender and sexuality that fits. They also feel it can make them look less severe when talking to other members, which isn’t good if you want to meet someone.
Many people who identify as transgender or gender-fluid say the site’s current options are demeaning and inaccurate. They also feel it’s too narrow to include nonbinary options like genderqueer, gender non-conforming or cross-dressing.
In the future, OkCupid should consider offering more sexual orientation and gender identity options to its users. They should offer asexual, queer, questioning and pansexual (where intelligence is more important than sexual attraction) opportunities for transgender, genderqueer and genderfluid.
This would be a step in the right direction for LGBTQ people who have felt left out of dating communities and could help prevent violence against them by partners. This is especially important because LGBTQ individuals are at risk of experiencing sexual assault and other forms of violence more frequently than their peers who do not identify as LGBTQ.
Gender-neutral options
The dating app OkCupid has introduced a new feature that will make it easier for users to share their pronouns. According to the company, this update will be the first of its kind for a leading dating app and will help people connect and find love as their authentic selves.
The feature was added in collaboration with GLAAD, the LGBTQ advocacy group. It will allow all OkCupid members to prominently display their pronouns alongside other personal details, allowing them to connect as their true selves.
As the dating service notes in a press release, this is a natural extension of its goal to “connect people on what matters to them.” The company also made it a point to include thirteen sexual orientations and twenty-two gender options in 2014, making it one of the most inclusive apps.
In addition to promoting inclusivity, this change was created in response to users’ feedback that they would like a more visible way to share their pronouns. “We noticed that many people were sharing their pronouns on their profiles, and we wanted to make it as easy as possible for them to do so,” Melissa Hobley, the app’s CMO, told Mashable.
This feature is especially beneficial to non-binary people, who can choose from various pronouns when writing their profile. These include she/her, he/him, and they/them.
Another benefit of this update is that it will minimize misgendering when messages are sent. This is especially helpful for people who aren’t comfortable using specific pronouns themselves and can help them feel more confident about their identity.
While this is an exciting update for the LGBTQ community, it’s also a great example of how companies can make their platforms more inclusive and transparent. As a result, businesses should take notice of the new functionality and integrate it into their own practices.
This will be a massive step in normalizing sharing pronouns and will also help dismantle harmful gender stereotypes and norms. This could mean incorporating gender-inclusive language in meetings and presentations, requesting and stating pronouns during new employee onboarding, or even putting images of diverse gender-diverse people in marketing materials.
Transgender options
OKCupid is one of the most popular dating apps, with more than 10 million members. It offers a variety of options for users to choose from, including their sexual orientation and gender.
While many online dating sites only let you select one of three genders (man or woman) and two sexual orientations (straight, gay, or bisexual), OkCupid has expanded its offerings to include more than 20 new identities. They also have a feature that allows you to share your pronouns, which is especially helpful for transgender and nonbinary people who often struggle with identifying on dating platforms.
The company has been proactive in making its platform more inclusive, partnering with organizations like Planned Parenthood and GLAAD. They’ve even added an option to search for people who have specified that they are open to dating transgender women or men.
But they still have a long way to go in offering more options for transgender users. Some have called for the site to adopt Facebook’s list of gender identities, making it easier for people to mark their trans status on their profiles.
Another critical option for transgender users is to use the app’s in-site messaging system, which enables anonymous interaction with other members. In-site messages are censored and only displayed to other OkCupid members who have matched you, which keeps your personal information safer.
Although some have suggested that the in-site messaging system hinders dating for transgender people, a spokesperson for the company said it was designed to be as safe as possible.
The app also has a dedicated space for members to share their pronouns on their profiles. This is particularly helpful for transgender and nonbinary individuals, as it allows them to be more transparent about their identity without compromising their safety.
In 2018, OkCupid rolled out a feature that allowed people who identified as any gender other than a man or woman to specify their pronouns on their profiles. Now, they’re expanding that feature to every user on their platform, allowing cisgender women and men to share their pronouns.
Nonbinary options
Online dating can be a great place to find potential dates, but it’s also often an unsafe environment for people who identify as nonbinary. For example, they might encounter accidental misgendering or be treated as if their gender identity is an experiment, as one user says in his essay.
That’s why it’s essential for people who identify as nonbinary to be able to share their pronouns on their OkCupid profile. This way, others can see that they’re a nonbinary person and understand how to treat them in the future.
However, it’s important to note that many online dating apps aren’t yet as welcoming as they should be for nonbinary users. For example, the popular dating app Tinder requires its users to select either a “woman” or a “man,” even though nonbinary users don’t fit into that binary at all.
Despite this, several dating applications have recently begun adding nonbinary options to their platforms. For example, Peloton announced this month that it would allow nonbinary people to compete against other members on its fitness app.
Another dating app, Hinge, also recently added an option to allow users to choose their pronouns. Like OkCupid, the company will display those pronouns alongside their gender and sexual orientation on their profile so others can see them.
While some people might be tempted to use their nonbinary pronouns to make it easier to match with other nonbinary people, this can be problematic for those still uncomfortable with identifying as nonbinary. If your date is uncomfortable with your choice of pronouns, it’s essential to communicate that.
Several dating applications have introduced nonbinary gender options in recent years, including Tinder, Match, Grindr, and Bumble. While it’s a good step for dating apps to start offering more options, they should also make an ethical commitment to freeing their services from a gender binary that discriminates against nonbinary individuals.
That’s why OkCupid, along with other dating apps, has worked to ensure that its products are inclusive of all people who identify as LGBTQ. That means working with nonprofits, partnering with DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) consultants, and engaging with LGBTQ focus groups.
OkCupid Profile
