Internet Gender Issues

[Lace Neil Singer]

This is something that fascinates me, mainly because I do it myself. I don't always play a male...in fact, with me it's probably closer to fifty fifty male female ration with characters I create. It seems to depend on the game.

The reason it fascinates me is that I have no idea what makes me want to play a male character when I actually DO do it. it seems to depend randomly on my whim at the moment. So when other women do it, I want to know why THEY do it.

I'm just curious, really.

Male characters are often easier to play in some respects; I understand the male mind a bit better than the female mind (And I'm a female! XD) so I can actually get into the character a bit better. xD I do have some female characters, tho; and of course, all are flawed.

[Skunkle]

My names on various sites: Zephyr, ZephyrSkunk, Skunkle (ZephyrSkunk on FurAffinity - don't bother checking it, I'm not a fur artist, just a watcher) or Jake Scwarz (another of my furry alts, but mainly an unusual name to use). I use my real name on some forums. I'm TorchGuy over at the Tiki Central forums, since I collect old tiki torches, and my real name is on MouseInfo and MiceChat, mainly on the threads about DCA and the new "World of Color" show (shouldn't be hard to find me, I'm one of the guys obsessing over fountains and my handle is my odd first and ordinary last names).

Online, my first name may be odd but it's male. "Zephyr" has never been mistaken for a female. But me...? When I was a teenager, and just as avid a collector as I am now, I'd regularly call local shops looking for what I wanted...and people on the other end, as well as telemarketers, would frequently call me "ma'am". And I have a voice that often drops into deep tones, and did then too, so I have no clue - I was often told at that age by other kids that I sounded like "a businessman" and my voice wasn't high at all. These days, I often use Zephyr Skunk's (not the common furry species-as-surname designation, he IS a skunk but his surname really IS "Skunk") voice, which is VERY low and rough...because I like it and it's not a far reach from my normal voice. And NO ONE mistakes that sound for female.

[XiaoTortuga]

I usually prefer not to say, mostly so I can see what people think. I don't think my handle gives it away. It's the same everywhere I go, or almost. I've been some variant of Stormraven on just about every forum I've joined, unless the name was already taken. My alt is Aalinoor, after a character I played once.

With that name I would assume female, but I am often wrong. And since I am not looking for sex or anything, generally makes no difference what a person's gender is online.

I go by this name elsewhere and others along the same lines. People always assume I'm male. I generally don't try to mask my gender, but until I get to know the people in the game or whatever, they don't know anything about my personal life.

I find that it is nice to be considered to be male seeing how 1) many chicks act and 2) they are treated. I would rather be seen as a human being rather than tits and a vag, and many places that means being seen as a dude.

What's funny is I think of this as a feminine name, but I guess it's just me or the fact that many people don't understand it.

What amuses me is when somebody in IRC pegged me for being at least 35 years old (not far off the mark). He said it is because I double space between sentences. Ah well.

[Kheldarson]

I don't know if I've ever been mistaken for a guy. Online at least. I've been mistaken for a guy a number of times irl. Recently had a kid ask if I was a "confused guy". I don't think mom could've been more embarassed...


But RK, for your question, I've recently tried picking up playing male characters to help balance my writing. Don't think it's been working, but, hey, I can hope?

[NateSean]

Usually NateSean, or some similar varation of my name and initials.
I was Dragon Rider or DragonWriter a few times in high school, once on my fanfiction.net account and on a Paltalk account, but nothing varying.

Of course my first name is actually Nathanielle and so if the gender option isn't available in a forum I do often get confused for being a lady when my full name is out.

Actually I've used Nate more often than my full name and people have asked, "Is that short for Natalie?" Mind you this was before I knew about avatars and therefor did not have a pic of anything looking remotely femanine.

It's as if I was exuding a femanine quality through the screen.

[jackfaire]

\
It's as if I was exuding a femanine quality through the screen.

Chandler: What is it about me?

Co-Worker: It's I dunno a quality

[NodmiTheSellout]

I make it fairly obvious I'm female in most forums I'm on. But, what I do most of the time I'm online is role play, and my character's a man. Which leads to people assuming I'M a man, often. Which, really, considering online chats and such, I can deal with. I distinctly remember using a feminine pronoun for the first time (that day) in a room for some out of character action, and promptly getting a PM from a guy asking, "Hey, so you're a girl, right? . . .if I said girls have said "it's too big", would you look at my webcam?" Because, you know, being under a male SN, with no indication that I'm at all interested in sex. . .that let him know that I totally want to look at his cock. Yeah. Fuck, am I glad I have no interest in playing female characters. Daring to exist as a woman in a group of nerdy guys can be pretty taxing.

[Racket_Man]

I am a male and my Nic says it all. been using the same one for like 25 years or so since the days of 300BPS modems and one-user-at-a-time BBS's

Never have I been mistaken for a Female

[Lace Neil Singer]

Happened again; on youtube. XXD Same name and avatar as I have here, tho since I was commenting on a video, the avatar didn't show up. I said that a character was hot; someone replied with, "Are you gay?" I replied with, "No, I'm a straight female". XXD

[Green_Fairy]

all my handles usually have the word "fairy" in it somewhere...(hey don't judge. i like pretty pretty fairies ), so i don't usually have the issue of being confused as a guy. except for that one time in a chat room where someone asked if i was a gay guy. that was odd.

but i have noticed that there's usually two choices for filling out forms online. "male" and "female." what about the genderqueer? there's never a space that says "other."
there was an episode of dr. who not too long ago where a lady addressed the passengers on a thingy as "ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between" or something like that. i think that's a grand idea and it should be put into effect.

[Rebel]

I go by Rebel here and SansDoute pretty much everywhere else. They're both kinda gender neural and with my writing style and opinions I often get mistaken for being male.
I'm kinda used to this now.
In RL I have a gender neutral name. I remember having to get my mum ring up one of my school friends mums when I was 7. There was a sleepover - no boys allowed. The woman didn't believe I was a girl until my mum swore to her I was. Even then, she greeted us at the door with a suspicious look. Developed a bit of a complex from that.

[Lace Neil Singer]

all my handles usually have the word "fairy" in it somewhere...(hey don't judge. i like pretty pretty fairies ), so i don't usually have the issue of being confused as a guy. except for that one time in a chat room where someone asked if i was a gay guy. that was odd.

Well, the term "fairy" is slang for a gay guy so maybe that's why.

[LexiaFira]

Rikastashia
LexiaFira or Lexia_Fira
and on occasion Zanitek

apparently the mix of letters used in these names makes it androgynous or enough that people have to ask what I am. Which is female. That and in some cultures Rika can be a girls name or Riku a guys name, depending on that one specific vowel difference. The X and R in Lexia may be a bit confusing but Zanitek is my favorite as it can go either way hehe

and yes Lace I thought for ages you were a guy mostly because of the brotherly love avie on your CS account hehe.

[jackfaire]

You all have genders *gasp* I thought you were all androgynous robots.

[Wingates_Hellsing]

You all have genders *gasp* I thought you were all androgynous robots.

[krshh]We have a turd in the punch bowl, I repeat, a turd in the punch bowl.[krshh]