[Jamie89]

I don't see the problem, it's just a survey. Yes there are a lot of options, but does it not say in the article that this is just a draft? Obviously for the draft they are going to include all the options they can initially think of, but it's likely that the final list of options will be more concise. I think it's interesting research to do anyway because as some people have commented, when they were growing up it was just male/female/gay or whatever, but as we know, there are many people who fall outside of those catagories who have struggled in life as a result. It's easy to ignore that these people exist and have existed because in the past they've been pushed into the shadows, but they do exist. So why not actively try and identify how young people view themselves in terms of gender, if it ends up helping some of them. It's really not going to harm anyone, and it's not going to confuse anyone. If someone taking this survey views themselves as male, they will tick the 'male' option, no harm done. And I don't think much research has been done in this area before so of course it will start off a bit rocky, and there will be a lot of uncertainty as to what gender options should be included, but that will all come together over time. Society's attitudes towards gender and identity are progressing and this is simply a reflection of that. It's not perfect yet but it's a great start.