(no subject)

[aesmael]

Still angry with a local library for their handling of my membership sign-up last year.

After I filled out the process on the provided kiosk the staff-member who was processing my application asked to see some ID. I handed over my driver licence which has no gender marker, but despite finding no corroborating documentation there, this staff-member proceeding to edit the (mandatory) gender field in my library account details. I'm sure this happened despite not seeing it directly because ey also wrote a misgendering title on the back of my library card before issuing it to me.

If you're going to have a mandatory gender field in the application and change it in ways not indicated by major government-issued documentation presented to staff, why even let prospective patrons fill it out? Why not just have a "hey, staff, write whatever you want here" field?

I do wonder if this might have been some sort of vindictiveness for pointing out that the sign-up kiosk link to the library's terms and conditions of use did not resolve. But pointing out a problem in your system surely doesn't merit forcing a person's fourth or fifth preference for gender recognition on em. Had already compromised with the constraints of the system provided as far as was willing. Don't need to take that from me too.

Comments

[cmcmck]

This is just poor behaviour and like you, I would suspect vindictiveness.

Did you make a complaint of any sort?

[aesmael]

I haven't. A former co-worker works at that library, and is friends with my supervisor. I worry about becoming a story if I complain and word getting back to my workplace, outing me.

Am planning on waiting until have finished this course of laser hair removal before going in to complain they made a mistake on my id. Hoping that will go better than I fear.

[cmcmck]

Yes, I can see there being issues. That this sort of stuff is still going on saddens me so much. :o(

[smurasaki]

Wow, that's not okay. The library I work at, sadly, requires us to label patrons as male or female, but if I were handed a non-gendered ID, I'd leave it blank. Hell, despite the fact that we're supposed to use that field, if a patron is clearly not presenting what's marked on their ID, I leave it blank because I'd rather fill out their info "wrong" than misgender them.

And it reminds me I need to poke my workplace again and remind them that having only M/F (or having it _at all_) is not actually okay.

[cmcmck]

Waves! :o)

Where you been hiding?

[smurasaki]

I dunno. Been kind of a strange spring, with not so good family stuff and I guess I just haven't had much to post about.