Just Dance and Gender
Hello!
I would like to talk about something, and I would hope a open mind for the subject.
In the most recent Just Dance (since the Just Dance, 4 I think) when the game is opened for the first time it asks information to create the profile, this come with name, age and gender.
In the part of gender it asks to choose one from two options: girl or boy, also known as the gender binary.
The thing is that not everyone will identify as a girl or a boy, there are non-binary people in the world, which means their gender identity is not a boy or a girl. Non-binary people and gender come in various cultures all around the world. (source: https://transequality.org/issues/res...and-supportive)
But the game doesn't recognize that not everyone fits the gender binary. It forces you to choose between girl or boy, even if that means lying in the case of non-binary people.
And it makes even worst that you can't skip that question. This can trigger huge distress in those people.
Once in a time I was one Just Dance player who was questioning their gender identity, specifically the possibility of me being non-binary, and I remember the anxiety it triggered on me need to choose between the gender binary to represent who I am, even when I opened the new game the first time, each year.
Therefore I would really hope for the game to add a third option of gender: it could be "non-binary" or a generic "other", that is enough to represent that population.
And also have gender neutral version of the titles in the game. In Just Dance 2020, the player can freely switch between masculine aliases (i.e. Magical Boy) and feminine aliases (i.e. Magical Girl), it would be good to have a third option (in that way non-binary people don't have to choose between the binary, and can be great for everyone that only doesn't want unnecessary gendered titles), that being: i.e. Magical Person. Or just keep the neutrality in all, not having gendered titles at all.
Really thank you for your attention.
Waiting for your answer,
Pedro Valente.
LGBTI+ activist.
(he/him/his)
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