> I have sometimes wondered why these two useful, pre-existing symbols
> are not used in the U.S. to denote 'male' and 'female' on
> e.g. restroom doors. One possibility is that, because they are
> frequently associated with 'sexuality'
A more likely explanation is that they are almost never used in everyday
life, except perhaps by people composing pamphlets about gender issues, and
thus they aren't as widely recognized or associated with one's own gender as
the words "men" and "women", or symbols depicting stereotypical dress/body
shapes. I mean, how many people reading the Weekly World News tabloid in the
checkout line at your local supermarket are going to see those symbols on a
door and identify with them, not just know what they mean if you quizzed
them about it?
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