From male and female to Androgyne, Intersex, and Transgender; Facebook is making headlines with its announcement that starting Jan. 26, it'll add a "Fill-in-the-blank'' option for users that can't identify themselves as a man or woman, ABC News reported. 

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This expanded option will give users a chance to choose their gender but retain full control over whom they want to share this information with.

"We're hoping this will open up the dialogue," said Ari Chivukula, a Facebook transgender software engineer. Facebook hopes this change and gender expansion will lead to worldwide acceptance of gender equality.

A gender identity researcher at Stanford University, Alison Fogarty said giving users control over the words describing their gender is a significant step in social recognition of a growing trans community, especially coming from the world's largest social media company.

Facebook, formerly known as thefacebook, was launched in 2004. It was initially intended for Harvard students only but later invaded the world and defeated other social media sites.

The social media giant has different kinds of services from fan pages, online businesses and the New Suicide Prevention Tools.

This is in accordance with its goal of keeping all its users safe. Facebook has partnered with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and other organizations that will help people with emotional distress by using their Facebook account.

A distraught Facebook user will receive advice on chat to work on through their feelings and will be encouraged to connect with an expert at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or a friend. This service is available in the United States and Canada.

Facebook has over 1.39 billion monthly users around the world. It has some 157 million daily users in the United States and Canada, an estimated 253 million daily users in Asia and 217 million in Europe.

TagsFacebook news, facebook update, Facebook gender option, Gender, Facebook tools, Facebook services