To clarify, gender identity is the person’s sense of self: do they percieve themselves as male or female? Sex is the gender you were assigned at birth. To say gender identity and sex is the same thing is erasing many people. Not the majority of people, but a significant amount of people who deserve to get proper healthcare.
The article describes four different ways to showcase gender identity/sex in an option. First was the typical “Male/Female” option. The second included a nonbinary option. The third option had both gender identity and sex assigned a birth. Option D is a type-in. The article said that “participants [in the study] were excited to see more inclusive options, but many feared the information would be used against them”. This is fair – LGBTQ+ people are often vulnerable and marginalized. The article mentioned ways to solve this issue: by letting users know how information will be used and acknowledging intersectional identities to exist by using multiselect menus.
It is not difficult to add these things into a design – and it should be encouraged that everyone does include these things.
Article here: https://bit.ly/3b02Z4U
LIS 4022 Spring 2020 