Facebook is now letting users type in anything they want when establishing their gender identity on the website.
The new fill-in-the-blank option, available to all users in the U.S., serves as the social networking giant's latest move in its quest to expand users' options for gender identity, according to TIME. The site previously offered 58 options, with choices like "cis woman" and "two-spirit" making their debut in February 2014.
"Now, if you do not identify with the pre-populated list of gender identities, you are able to add your own," Facebook said in a statement Thursday.
Other options users can enter include Androgyne, Gender Fluid, Intersex and Transgender, USA Today reported. Users will also be able to pick pronouns they want to be referred to as (he/his, she/her or they/their), and they can also decide who sees their gender.
"By empowering people to talk about their gender in their own words, Facebook continues to be a leader in its commitment to respecting and protecting LGBT users," said Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of the advocacy group GLAAD. "Part of being who you are is just being able to describe yourself in a way that feels right to you."
Ari Chivukula, a software engineer at Facebook who identifies as transgender, is part of the team that created the free-form option and believes the update will help people who don't identify themselves as a man or woman become more widely accepted, the Associated Press reported.
"We're hoping this will open up the dialogue," Chivukula said.
Ellis praised Facebook's efforts in bringing "real movement in trans visibility," saying the company has helped "accelerate trans acceptance in our country," the AP reported.
"I'm excited about the future of gender identity," she said.
