From: Jon Hanna (jon@hackcraft.net)
Date: Fri Sep 29 2006 - 09:06:39 CST
Hans Aberg wrote:
> The stuff in the Unicode character set seems mainly concerned with
> sexual preference,
More so orientation than preference.
I can't think of many symbols for what one actually prefers to do
sexually, rather than who one does it with, though perhaps I just need
to get out more.
The 3-legged metalic symbol that looks like a cross between a triskelion
and a yin-yang symbol used by the BDSM community is the only one that
comes to mind. Given that colour is deemed important to the symbol's
appearance - it is specified as being of metalic colouring - it does not
seem to be suitable for encoding in the UCS. It does not appear to be
used inline with text which would also weigh against encoding. I'd say
it's more an emblem than a symbol; more comparable to the purple lamda
than to U+26A2 in usage.
While more a relationship-model preference than a sexual preference,
there are various combinations of differing numbers of U+2640 and U+2642
that have been used to represent polyamourous relationships. Doesn't
seem to be standardised to any degree and again not used inline.
Other symbols being developped would require a well-defined community
based around the preference in question, which contained some sort of
community activist effort to establish any such symbol. I wouldn't be
surprised to hear of such symbols, but the smaller the community and the
less political activism from them, the lesser the chance such a symbol
would be adapted and the greater the chance it would just die out.
whereas I indicated the problem of medically
> defining physical maleness/femaleness.
That's a problem, or rather a whole bunch of problems, for doctors,
social workers, legislators, judicial systems, medical scientists,
biologists, political and social activists, and those for whom the more
naive binary question does not have a fully satisfactory answer. I doubt
character encodings have much help to provide.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Fri Sep 29 2006 - 09:10:11 CST