PETITION TO...
label the gender the reader is in your fic beforehand?!?!? why is it when i go on a fic that says "x reader", the characters refer to me as a woman and with she/her pronouns. Since when are women readers the default? PLEASE tag/write like "x male!reader" "x female!reader" and if its gender neutral you can do plain old "x reader" cause theres no label or just "gn!reader"
make more gender neutral reader fics if the gender doesnt matter in the fic. its not that hard to use they/them pronouns and use the word person or spouse or partner. unless the gender is a really important role, please make it gender neutral <3 <3 you can do ctrl+f or find in page and look to see if you accidentally used a diff pronoun. its a good revising/double checking method
Tips (sort of):
Here are sum tips you can use to write a gender neutral reader fic :)
use they/them pronouns for us if its in a pov other than ours
instead of using wife/husband: spouse
instead of using girl/boyfriend: partner
instead of using girl/boy: person
avoid using dresses/skirts as reader's clothing
try not to go to in detail with clothing to make sure it stays very gender neutral
family/gender-neutral restrooms exist and can exist in your fanfic world!
It's actually really easy and self explanatory that I don't even know what else to list.
Now of course this only applies to fics where gender identity DOESNT affect storyline or plot too much. For example I will be reading this fic and it would definitely pass off as a male reader as well or a nonbinary one therefore it could definitely be a gn!reader fic! no one would have known it was a female reader if you didnt put x female reader or used she and her. you have a chance to be inclusive--more readers and higher morality--please take it!
I know what some people are thinking: why can't you just ignore the pronouns and the gender mention?
It's kinda hard for me at least to ignore and replace. Its some kind of ick for me that makes me scroll away quickly. I see an unlabeled gender reader fic (a fic that just says [character] x reader) and then it says something like "woman" and uses she/her i just get a bad ick and scroll out very quickly. Its 2023 and i think its important to be inclusive these days, especially when you can. If you need help at all with making your oneshots gender neutral then you can always ask me or anyone you know that can :) hope this helped