Using Race Roster, event organizers can ask participants to identify their sex or gender during the registration process. By default, the registration form will display options for sex (male, female), but can also be toggled to display options for gender identity (man, woman, non-binary, gender fluid, gender non-conforming, gender queer, or prefer not to disclose). Read more in our original article: how to customize the system-coded sex/gender registration question.
We recognize that the customizations available for the system-coded sex/gender field may not serve the needs of every single event. If you do not need the data to automatically connect with the Race Roster results admin or CRM tool, and instead want to prioritize inclusion, you may read below to become familiar with key terms and learn a step-by-step alternative method for capturing this data.
Key Terms
Gender refers to the socially constructed characteristics, norms, roles, behaviour and actions performed by a particular sex. Gender is fundamentally different from sex assigned at birth.
Other distinctions include but are not limited to:
- Sex/Biological Sex – The medical term based on the physical characteristics and anatomy used to designate people as male, female or intersex. Biological sex is distinct from gender.
- Sex Assigned at Birth (SAAB) – Refers to the sex, separate from gender identity, that someone was given at birth based on their external anatomy.
- Gender Identity – Refers to a person’s internal and individual perception and expression of their gender. Gender identity can align or differ from the sex they were assigned at birth. A person’s gender identity can change over time as they learn about themselves and available terminology.
To provide widely inclusive gender language and options for your participants, you may use the terms below to better encompass the various gender identities that they may align with:
- Woman
- Man
- Non-Binary, Gender-Fluid, Gender Non-Conforming, or Gender Queer
- Two-Spirit
- Trans Woman - Male to Female (MtF)
- Trans Man - Female to Male (FtM)
- Not specified above <Please Specify>_________
- Prefer not to answer
Non-Binary: A term used to describe a person whose gender exists outside the binary gender categories of male/masculine and female/feminine. Non-binary identities exist on and off the gender spectrum, and the term can be used solely to describe one's gender and/or as an umbrella term; or a continuum or spectrum for identities and expressions that exist outside of the binary of woman and man (e.g., agender, genderqueer, bigender, non-binary, gender-fluid, etc.). The term is based on the rejection of the gender binary’s assumption that this is an either/or option of male/men or female/women, based on sex assigned at birth.
Gender-Fluid: A term used to describe a person who experiences gender fluidly, and does not have a fixed gender identity. They may move between many gender identities and expressions at different times.
Gender Non-Conforming: An umbrella term used to describe a person who identifies or expresses themselves outside of the gender binary and/or does not conform to society’s expectations for their gender identity, roles and/or gender expression.
Genderqueer: An umbrella term used to describe a person who does not follow gender stereotypes based on the sex they were assigned at birth. They may identify and express themselves as “feminine
men” or “masculine women” or as androgynous, outside of the categories “boy/man” and
“girl/woman.”
Two-Spirit: An English umbrella term to reflect and restore Indigenous traditions forcefully suppressed by colonization, honouring the fluid and diverse nature of gender and attraction, and its connection to community and spirituality. It is used by some Indigenous Peoples rather than, or in addition to, identifying as LGBTQI. Traditionally in Aboriginal cultures, a Two-Spirit person was one who had received a gift from the Creator–the privilege of housing both male and female characteristics within their spirit. Today, it is used to describe Aboriginal people who are known in non-Aboriginal society as either gay, lesbian, bisexual, intersex, gender queer, cross-dressers or who have multiple gender identities.
Trans: An abbreviation and umbrella term that includes transgender, transsexual, gender non-conforming, and gender-questioning persons. It is used to describe individuals who do not conform to what society usually defines as a man or a woman, but exist between or cross over the gender spectrum.
Female to Male (FtM): A person who was assigned female at birth but has a male gender
identity. MtF might identify as a trans woman, transwoman or woman.
Creating a custom registration question to substitute the system-coded sex/gender formats
Follow the steps below to create your own custom gender question.
1. From your event dashboard, click on registration questions under the settings tab from the lefthand menu.
2. From your registration question settings, click on the personal information tab to view the default personal information questions asked during the registration process. This is where you can select the system-coded sex or gender formats. Uncheck box for sex/gender under the "show on form" and "mandatory" columns to remove these default formats from displaying in your registration process. Click save once the setting is unchecked.
3. Click on the custom questions tab at the top of the same page to begin creating the new custom gender registration question.
4. Click the green "add question" button. Give your question a title (e.g., Please select the option that best aligns with your gender identity), a description (optional), and select the type of answer for your question. Click save once all info has been submitted.
- Single-line/multi-line text box can be used to allow participants to submit their own response
- Multiple choice (radio button/dropdown) answers can be used to limit participants to select from an available set
Your custom gender registration question will now be visible in the registration process in place of Race Roster's default sex/gender options.
Optional: By checking off the setting "Allow participants to create their own options", your participants can type in their own answer outside of the multiple choices if their gender identity does not align with any of the options provided.
Warning: By disabling the default formats and instead creating your own custom question, sex/gender data:
- will not exist under the regular "sex" field on the participant list, but instead under the custom field
- will not be reflected under the built-in sex/gender metrics found under the dashboard's demographics tab, but instead under the registration question metrics
- will not connect to the sex/gender fields in results or Race Roster CRM; additional work will be required to migrate this custom field data to the other systems
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