Google embraces transgender community with more gender options on Google+

Google is opening up about ways that people can describe their gender on Google+.

Instead of restricting users to “male,” “female,” and “other,” the company will soon let users type the term they prefer into a text field, according to a Google+ post today from Googler Rachael Bennett. Google+ users can also provide Google with a designated pronoun the network should use to refer to them on their profile, to customize phrases Google+ automatically generates, like “In her circles.”

Google will roll out the new options to users over the next few days, Bennett wrote.

The new freedom for users to self-describe their gender follows a similar move from Facebook in February. In June, Facebook went further and allowed users in the United Kingdom to choose from 70 gender descriptions.

That same month, Google showed its support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community with small user-interface changes in commemoration of Pride celebrations.