You do n't have to be strictly a man or a woman on Facebook anymore . In a nod to the `` it 's complicated '' sexual identities of many of its users , the social network on Thursday added a third `` custom '' gender option for people 's profiles . In addition to Male or Female , Facebook now lets U.S. users choose among some 50 additional options such as `` transgender , '' `` cisgender , '' `` gender fluid , '' `` intersex '' and `` neither . '' Users also now have the ability to choose the pronoun they 'd like to be referred to publicly : he/his , she/her , or the gender-neutral they/their . `` When you come to Facebook to connect with the people , causes , and organizations you care about , we want you to feel comfortable being your true , authentic self , '' Facebook said in a post on its Diversity page . `` An important part of this is the expression of gender , especially when it extends beyond the definitions of just 'male ' or 'female , ' `` the post continued . `` So today , we 're proud to offer a new custom gender option to help you better express your own identity on Facebook . '' Facebook said it worked with a group of leading lesbian , gay , bisexual and transgender advocacy organizations to come up with the new gender categories . `` Facebook users from across the country have been asking for the ability to reflect their gender accurately , and today Facebook showed they have been listening , '' said Allison Palmer , a former GLAAD vice president , who worked on the project with Facebook . To edit your gender status ( or other personal information ) , Facebook offers these instructions : . Go to your Timeline ( which we sometimes refer to as your profile ) . Click Update Info at the bottom of your cover photo . Click Edit in the top right of the section you 'd like to change . ( The new gender options are only accessible within an autocomplete drop-down menu , so you have to begin typing to see them appear . ) Enter your new info and click Save . Among other new gender options identified on Facebook so far : Trans Female , Trans Male , Trans Person , Gender Variant , Gender Questioning , Bigender , Androgynous , Pangender and Transsexual . Facebook also tweaked its privacy settings to let users control with whom they share their custom gender . Reaction on social media Thursday was largely positive , although some people joked they would need a dictionary to look up many of the gender-identity terms . The social network did not say Thursday when the new gender options might be available to users outside the U.S .
Facebook on Thursday added new gender categories for user 's profiles . U.S. users can now choose options such as ` ` transgender '' and ` ` intersex '' The change was criticized by LGBT advocacy groups .