How to Choose a Pronoun on OkCupid
If you’re getting frustrated with gender selection in dating apps, you may have a new friend with the benefits of OkCupid.
At the end of 2017, OkCupid forced users to discard their descriptors and force them to use their real names. Or at least a name that seems more real than “studhorze69”. The decision was met with a lot of resistance, especially from the LGBT community , attracted by the security of the slightly greater anonymity in the previous version of the dating app. OkCupid just announced a new option that could bring some of these frustrated people back to the site: you can choose your gender pronoun on your profile.
The current dropdown options are he / he, she / she and they / they, as the app announced on its blog on Monday:
To access your gender pronouns, go to your profile and click on “Profile Details”. This is the same place where you establish your sexual orientation and relationship status. There are presets above, but you can also enter “any pronouns you want – you can also delete pronouns here by selecting (leave this field blank)”.
The new feature was created in collaboration with GLAAD, who shared this statement upon opening:
“Everyone should be able to express themselves in their own words and be able to form a romantic relationship with someone who respects and values them,” said Zeke Stokes, GLAAD’s vice president of programs. “By creating a dedicated space for personal pronouns in profiles, OkCupid has taken an important step forward by raising the bar for including LGBTQ in dating apps.”
OkCupid claims to be the first dating app to include gender pronouns as a detail that you can specify outside of male or female. It looks like Bumble and Tinder should immediately swipe right.