Peloton announced today that users now have the option to select nonbinary as their gender, as part of the company’s broader commitment to Pride Month. Nonbinary users will appear as “NB” on the leaderboard, where they compete against other people using the app. Users will still be able to filter the leaderboard by age and gender.
Nonbinary gender options are still uncommon in many tech products, although Peloton’s move could push other companies to make the option standard across platforms. Facebook has supported nonbinary gender designations since 2014, and a number of dating apps have already introduced the feature, including Tinder, OkCupid, and Grindr. Even emoji now have nonbinary options, with both Google and Apple releasing gender inclusive icons last year. Apple introduced 328 emoji, and Google launched 53.
In many ways, tech companies are following states, which have increasingly recognized nonbinary genders in government functions. In 2017, Oregon became the first state to give drivers the option to self-identify as nonbinary on their driver’s license. In the years since, ten other states have adopted the practice.
As part of Pride Month, Peloton is also donating $100,000 to the Ali Forney Center (AFC), a nonprofit organization that provides resources for homeless LGBTQIA+ youth, as well as 20 percent of its Pride 2020 collection sales, up to an additional $25,000.
