ACParadise Forums

I'm curious as to why. I understand boys and girls wanting their own place for their cosplays to be displayed, and i've been told why the site is this way...but for me it's a major turn-off. I'd just like to state my reasoning why and then open it up for discussion, because I'm genuinely curious as to the thoughts behind keeping the site the way it is.

One argument is that there are people out there who aren't physically male or female. Making them pick a gender is awkward and kind of rude.

Another argument is that there are people who are one gender but identify with the opposite gender. This can cause problems because people will either create accounts for their physical gender and be uncomfortable with it, or they'll create accounts for the gender they identify with and make waves with everybody else.

And the final argument is where I personally stand on the matter. I am a crossplayer. I don't have a single cosplay that is of my actual gender. I don't like that when I post a costume and people look at it...they see FEMALE everywhere. It takes away from the impact of the costume, and instead of "that's a good cosplay", it becomes "that girl makes a good boy".

I'm not saying we should get rid of genders entirely. I see the benefits of wanting to have a place of your own gender-wise. I'm just saying that it would be nice if cosplayers didn't have to specify gender in order to post photos.

So thoughts? Suggestions? Please keep this civil, since I'm really just asking because I'd like to hear the other point of view. =)

I honestly feel the same way on this matter, and have been highly curious as to the reasoning behind this decision in the creation of the site. When I first came across ACP, I did not even want to join because the gender segregation was so off-putting to me. The site's focus on drawing attention to a cosplayer's gender seems really excessive. With most websites, if I have the option to not disclose or at least not display my gender, then I don't. It is a personal matter to me, and it makes me uncomfortable to think that every time someone looks at my cosplay profile and pictures, there are banners on every single page focusing on my gender. I would think that the cosplay community would be open-minded enough to acknowledge that gender identity is not a black and white (or rather, pink and blue) issue.

How about a male taking female hormones? This will only add to the confusion.

I agree with the hormones part. It's an issue I didn't type out since people who identify as a different gender than what they are will take hormones if they can afford to.

I've been told that the site is the way it is because of an understandable process dealing with it's creation. But I also believe that the way it's set up now is outdated. The issue is that things WON'T change unless enough people voice a wish for change to happen. Otherwise things will stay status-quo.