If a new player wanted to join is there a chance that they could identify as non-binary or any other gender besides the original two? I just thought of this because I noticed the gender symbol on my profile page.

Well the gender symbol is more for biological sex, however you can make the character identify anyway you choose. :]

Lol if I were part of the LGBT+ community I would've gotten mad at that answer. But thanks!

To add more genders is a matter of coding, and Zachary is currently busy with real life matters, and staff is working on our pet systems, I’m afraid this would be hard to achieve without coding and time that could be spent on other important aspects of the site.

However, you do make a good point, but the gender button does not matter very much on our site. We have transgender and nonbinary students already actively role playing in this community.

Your concern still will be brought up to staff, and we will see what we can do. Rosie, however, is correct. The button is more for biological purposes, and you can instead identify as whatever gender you wish in character.

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Hm I understand but i was just thinking of the gender symbols, like these:

Again, it is a matter of coding. Coding in a website is a very complicated, difficult and time consuming thing, even adding a small element to the site via coding can take days, if not longer.

Therefore, Zachary, who is the only person the code is available to, has more important things in his own life to worry about, as well as more time pressing issue with the two sites he runs, so adding gender symbols is very very low priority. This is, of course, unfortunate for those who wish to identify as one of the symbols we do not have. However, we as a active and alive website do not have many restrictions on what players wish to identify as. Like others have said above, you may choose to identify as nearly anything, gender-wise. Even feel free to add you specific sex symbol into your character page if you so wish. The actual button, on the other hand, cannot be changed from the existing two and you will just have to pick one.

The button is basically useless in everyday activity of the site. Yes, most will see it and initially assume.boy or girl, however they will then read your biography and if you state in it your clarifications, they will go by what you have said rather than the button

Uh thanks! I understand how it can be a low priority, since other people explained that already before, it's just a small change so I didn't think it was that big deal as change a little image, sorry. I understand people have lives, just didn't think it was a big deal, my bad!

Thank you everyone for your explanations.

She's right you know?

The fact you do not even have an 'other' option sucks.
It was kind of like a slap to the face to see you cannot identify as anything except the binary genders.
And yeah, coding is difficult and I don't know anything about it, not gonna lie. So maybe it really is that hard.

The thing is, if you have a character identifying as something other than the binary genders, no matter how well you write them, every time you see the symbol on your id card, or have to walk in the bedroom/bathroom of the gender you don't identify with, it really stinks. It invalidates everything you do, and honestly, strips you off your self esteem.

As part of the enbie community in real life, I know how this feels, and maybe it's not the same in rp.
But I understand her frustration.

It's been two years. Think you could put a little time aside for this now?

I would like to say, that while your concerns are valid, the people who run the site have jobs and lives outside of HiO. The amount of time and dedication they put into this site should be what we focus one more so than the things they do not do.

In addition, this is a very busy time for staff. There has been an influx of people due to COVID and being stuck at home. I have actually observed conversations about this in the Discord and staff is thinking/working on ways to make the site more inclusive. Many more enby characters are on the site and, yes, they are put into dorms with biological sex not a dorm of there choosing. That (as far as I am aware) is because giving specific players access to more than one dorm is 1. overpowering that character and 2. very hard to do for each individual student.

As for dorms, as someone who is part of a boarding, summer program, students IRL are almost always put with biological sex as enbys and there prefered sex and transgender students.

I hope this clears this up and helps understand why it is not the easiest thing. If you have any more concerns or questions I would recommend owling your head of house.