Online mistaken-gender confusion

[DarthFennec]

I've never been assumed to be a girl (that I know of), but I've done the assuming innumerable times. I can't count how many times I've read someone's comment and suddenly realized that they are in fact not the gender I thought they were for the last however-long-I-thought-I-knew-them. There are a few people that I've known for years online, and I still don't know for sure what their genders are, nor do I have any clear idea. But it doesn't really matter, I'm going to treat them the same either way. But it is interesting.

On this forum, I often immediately assume that people with anime women as their avatars are women. Which is a stupid thing of me to assume, once I think about it

 

[jaoblia]

I've been on about 2 forums throughout my travels on the interwebs, and my gender has never really come up.

 

[CheckD3]

Being a gamer, I hate to say it, but I assume someone is a male until they define themselves, but however I don't let their gender paint my opinion of their opinions.

 

[MisterGobbles]

Being a gamer, I hate to say it, but I assume someone is a male until they define themselves, but however I don't let their gender paint my opinion of their opinions.

I'd have to agree with this. It's not really relevant most of the time, and unless their avatar implies they're a girl, or they flat out state that they are, or if I happen to look at someone's profile, I just picture them as male.

 

[smearyllama]

I see you got a new avatar, Reservoir. I think I preferred the original, but this is nice.

OT: It's never happened to me before, but I may have mistaken someone else once or twice.

 

[herts]

Only in WoW (I know right, shocking) but normally I end up on ventrilo with the people I WoW with and they get the picture pretty quick.

 

[Saelune]

Pfft. My avatar does NOT keep people from calling me he. Though I sometimes think it is some secret group attempting to piss me off.

 

[Ilikemilkshake]

I've had people think i was a girl a number of times, and then when i say im not a girl, they treat me completely differently... its unreal

 

[Worgen]

I keep getting confused with someone who likes wow because of my user name when I wouldnt mind seeing blizzard get pushed down a flight of stairs

 

[Bambi Puce]

I was at a Rocky Horror shadow cast one night, in half attempted drag, just sitting there, waiting for the show to start, not really doing much... then a friend asked me a question I had no choice but to answer, and another semi regular attendee blurted, "Oh My God! You're a dude!"

 

[RaphaelsRedemption]

People ALWAYS assume I'm a guy.

I think it's the avatar. It doesn't bother me at all though, especially as people do seem to treat one better when they think you are of the same sex as them...

 

[Lyri]

Couple of times I've been mistaken for a girl but nothing too major, I think it's because of the bassist in my profile or the picture of Baikenes I use for my avatar.
Either way it gives me a small chuckle.

 

[katsumoto03]

Nope because I'm the very epitome of manliness in whatever I do. There is no confusion.

 

[SnowyGamester]

Yes, quite a few times. 'Snowy' isn't exactly a definitive alias when it comes to gender.

FYI guy but not gay.

 

[EmperorSubcutaneous]

Even with a female avatar and a female name, people think I'm a guy. Even in FFXI where I played a Mithra. But they assumed my then-boyfriend (who also played a Mithra) was a girl. Hilarious.

So I just decided to roll with it.

 

[Julianking93]

I don't think anyone except for maybe 2 or 3 people really know what gender I am.

I don't just mean here either, I get confused for the opposite gender everywhere I go.

 

[l3o2828]

People usually either think im a girl or gay becuase of my pleasently soft , yet high pitched voice.
wich is quite annoying when im being called gay, fag and other things just because of my voice.
but yes, it has happened quite a lot.

 

[Extragorey]

Usually it doesn't matter what your gender is; it bears no relevance on most discussions. Just saying. And no, no one's ever mistaken my gender as far as I remember.

 

[5mj7R7yf4Dwr3gdZyyu9PeGNwYjlNrjzuh3iTXQG]

I'm sorry, ReservoirAngel, but the only impressions I got from your avatar were a) You like Zero Punctuation, and b) You enjoy Yahtzee's innumerable references to penes, both of which, I, as a mostly straight fellow[footnote] That is, as one who's generally fond of girl-bits but has experienced more than a few Stupid Sexy Flanders [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/StupidSexyFlanders] moments in his life.[/footnote] enjoy, myself.

But avatars are a poor indicator of the identity they represent, especially if they're cultural references. A My Little Pony avatar, for example, might have to do with the cultural resurgence, identification with that character in the series, or that pony's name (many of which are easy to confuse with pornstar names). An anime character may be a point of personality identification, a personal favorite or one who looks roughly like the person in real life. Without context, an avatar is only an image.

As for myself, I've had plenty of people presume I'm significantly younger than I am (despite my ubiquitous cultural-references dating me). Sometimes, it's kinda nice.[footnote]I have been mistaken for gay or female on sole premise that I am a strong advocate for social equality, including gay rights or women's rights, but this is part of a greater personal agenda towards equality for all groups regarded as fringe by the mainstream.[/footnote]

In reverse, I tend not to even presume one's gender until one openly expresses a sex or orientation. First off, it doesn't matter, and secondly, I was around during the era that women would have to take ambiguous or masculine handles in order to avoid getting harassed, so many a cover would ill represent the contents within.

238U