OkCupid Launches New, Gender-Inclusive 'Identity' Project

In its continuing effort for more inclusive representation, OkCupid, the popular online dating network, launched a new website called Identity, a project that seeks to expand the conversation about sexual orientations and gender identities.

OkCupid is seen by many as one of the Web's more progressive dating services, especially after the company unveiled many nonbinary gender options to their website last fall.

"When OkCupid expanded the available gender and orientation options, we realized there was a larger conversation taking place," says a post on the Identity home page. "Because dictionary definitions aren't always able to tell a story, we went to real people to add some color to this evolving language."

The new site allows anyone, whether a regular OkCupid user or not, to share and contribute their own gender identity stories through a simple questionnaire. Identity also acts as a one-stop resource for various definitions of different sexual identities to be viewed. Currently, definitions of 13 gender identities, including transgender, cisgender, agender, androgynous, etc., and 22 orientations -- gay, lesbian, bisexual, demisexual, etc. -- are available on the site.

"It's a welcoming place for everyone to learn about the myriad options that exist beyond the binary," said OkCupid's director of marketing, Lauren O'Reilly, in an emailed statement. "Our aim is to gather these terms in one central place and extend beyond definitions to discover what these words and identifiers mean to the people who connect with them."

To share your story, visit Identity here.