The Network, which is an independent, LGBT+ community respected LGBT+ community supportive organisation, based in the pan-Dorset area but with national & parliament level respected outreach in it’s advisory services, is pleased to provide the following information for the pan-Dorset LGBT+ and LGBTQ communities on Census 2021.
We ask all LGBT+ and LGBTQ community members to involve in the Census, and in support to this if and where able provide responses to the historically important sexual orientation and gender identity Census questions 26 and 27, but also on the mental health related questions (22 and 23) where relevant.
We assure too, that in conjunction with core grassroots and larger [such as the nationally important Bourne Free LGBT+ Pride] organisations, pan-Dorset (the Dorset and Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole conurbation) we work with, that we are following up on ensuring that your answers on the Census will make a difference to statutory & public service organisations and educational/further education colleges, will make a difference.
The information below covers need to know details on:
- Census questions
- Confidentiality
- Why take part in the Census LGBT+ and LGBTQ relevant questions:
Questions – guidance & information:
Questions 26 and 27:
These are the two questions of historically important significance for our sexual orientation and gender minority communities. However, there are other questions of particular direct relevance and importance to our LGBT+ and LGBTQ communities; these are highlighted in their own sections after Questions 26 and 27 below.
Q26: Which of the following best describes your sexual orientation? This question is voluntary
Guidance note:
Why we ask this question
Your answer helps your local community by allowing charities, public bodies, and local and central government to understand what services people might need.
This information helps monitor equality between groups of people of different sexual orientation. Your answer will help public bodies to identify discrimination or social exclusion based on sexual orientation and work to stop it from happening.
This is the first time that the census in England and Wales has asked this question.
This question is voluntary, so you can leave it blank if you prefer. We ask this question of people who are aged 16 years and over.
It’s up to you how you answer this question. Select only one option from the following:
- “Straight or Heterosexual” means that you’re only attracted to people of the opposite sex
- “Gay or Lesbian” means that you’re attracted to people of the same sex
- “Bisexual” means that you’re attracted to more than one sex*
- “Other sexual orientation” lets you enter your own answer, for example, pansexual or asexual. This is also voluntary, so you can leave it blank if you prefer.
* NOTE: this can be confusing, as it traditionally means attracted to the opposite sex and your own sex. Being attracted to more than one sex, without specifying just the two, or how many sex/gender types one is attracted to sexually is more appropriate for the final option “Other sexual orientation” with for example responding ‘pansexual’ which can mean all the sexual orientation options such as gay, heterosexual, trans/intersex, etc.
Do not record your gender identity or relationship status here
The next question [27] is about the gender you identify with.
Q27: Is the gender you identify with the same as your sex registered at birth? This question is voluntary
Guidance notes from the ONS: — Guidance on how to identify in the sex question:
Please also see: https://www.ons.gov.uk/news/statementsandletters/census2021sexquestionguidance
Guidance for intersex respondents for sex question
The guidance provided applies to all respondents considering how to answer the question.
Why we ask this question:
This question is voluntary, so you can leave it blank if you prefer. We ask this question of people who are aged 16 years and over.
It’s up to you how you answer this question.
Select “Yes” if:
you identify as female and your sex registered at birth was female
you identify as male and your sex registered at birth was male
Select “No” if:
your gender identity is different to the sex recorded on your birth certificate when you were born, for example if you’re transgender or non-binary
The other questions in the Census of direct, major LGBT+ and LGBTQ communities’ importance:
Q25: ‘If you are aged 16 or over …’
Why are sexual orientation and gender identity questions for people aged 16 and over only?
What if someone under 16 answers?
This is the most controversial aspect of the Census for LGBT+ and most of all LGBT’Q’ [‘Q’ meaning Questioning, people on route to self-identifying/Coming Out to themselves as belonging to a sexual orientation or gender minority community] communities. This regarding the sexual orientation and gender identity sections of the Census, and Network discussion with the Census has confirmed concern about aspects of this exclusion decision. We include two notes on this below for ONS and public & statutory sector service providers, information.
NOTE on impacts of exclusion of LGBT+ 14 – 16 year olds:
When combined with Q22 (that covers mental health) and given still all too common for this age group, bullying experiences and the coinciding with these years being particularly important in terms of self-identifying/Coming Out to Oneself [and potentially others] as LGB or T, the ONS by deciding not to give the 14 – 16 age bracket a voice (for the e-version of the Census form with its PIN code could have been provided safely to enable them to complete if for example they had homophobic parents or family/household settings).
Consequently, mental healthcare service providers, general practices (that LGBT+ people are entitled to request counselling support from on issues around Coming Out, or prejudice and bullying impacts), and especially middle school and FE college education providers would all have been able to benefit directly from such data if it had been allowed to be collected by the ONS.
The network has informed ONS of this concern, and relevant statutory sector and FE age group service providers in the pan-Dorset area so that they can better engage with the issues involved – this action we believe will be of major LGBT+ engagement & support benefit for these service providers.
The Mental Health related questions (Q22, and Q23):
Question 22: ‘Do you have any physical or mental health conditions or illness lasting or expected to last 12 months or more?’
Guidance & analysis: This is a particularly important question for many LGB or T community members as, many of these suffer disproportionately in regard to poor mental health due to family rejection, negative religious [such as victims of Conversion Therapy] or cultural factors, prejudice being attacked and/or verbally abused, direct and indirect discrimination, all of which leave mental health scars, particularly if there is an element of trauma around a specific experience, or through insidious effects of being subject to long-term indirect discrimination.
It is in the interest of LGBT+ community members to be in doubt to answer YES to this question if at the time of completion they are subject to any of the experiences above, and it is causing depression/low mood in particular, and in some cases suicidal ideation.
Question 23: ‘Do any of your conditions or illnesses reduce your ability to carry out day to day activities?’
Guidance Note from the ONS regarding this question: https://census.gov.uk/help/how-to-answer-questions/online-questions-help/do-any-of-your-conditions-or-illnesses-reduce-your-ability-to-carry-out-day-to-day-activities
What we mean by day-to-day activities:
Day-to-day activities include everyday tasks, for example eating, washing, walking and going shopping.
Confidentiality, and compulsory and voluntary elements of the Census:
The LGB&T (LGBT+) Dorset Equality Network wishes to record here our recognition and thanks to the Census pan-Dorset field officer for her extensive engagement with us in support of maximising outreach to our local area LGBT+ communities; we also record our thanks to regional level ONS/Census officers we have connection with through our organisation lead officer. Such support and engagement is greatly appreciated.
The Pink News visual below (kindly provided by Weymouth Gay Group) gives a good illustration on the topic of confidentiality, use of data by the ONS, and why take part:
Confidentiality:
The Census/ONS has provided valuable online, national level clarification on the key subject of confidentiality for our LGBT+ communities, and related assurances and guidance to community members, provided below:
Confidentiality of answers, and individual questionnaire overrides household:
- Respondents will be able to confidentially request an individual questionnaire or online access code and provide answers independently of anyone else in their household, if they want to.
- No one in their household needs to be aware.
- Answers given on an individual questionnaire will override those given about that person in the household questionnaire
Compulsory nature and voluntary elements of the Census:
‘Taking part in the census is a legal requirement. Anyone who lives in England and Wales must fill in the census form by law. …
‘… There are three questions on the England and Wales census that are voluntary. These questions are about religion, sexual orientation and gender identity. The questions about sexual orientation and gender identity will only be asked to those aged 16 years and over.
‘Respondents have a legal right not to answer these questions if they don’t want to. We understand that some people might not want to share their religion, sexual orientation or gender identity. This might be, for example, because of worries about safety or privacy. …
Source: Section 9, page 14 of the Local Authority Guidance: How to help the public take part in Census 2021
Why take part in the LGBT+ and LGBTQ relevant questions:
The ONS (Office of National Statistics), that provides the Census and developed its questions, provides the following information and details below on why everyone should complete the questionnaire and provide as much information possible. The second section of this information resource details direct LGBT+ community reasons for contributing responses that will support better and fuller statutory & public service organisations services that are LGBT+ supportive: the section includes national and Network particulars.
We must note here however as the ONS has not made any reference to the exceptional circumstances attached to those from sexual orientation and gender minorities in regard to whether or not they are Out, that, lacking this reference, it is possible that those who are subject to unconscious bias and indirect discriminatory perspectives may use data to assert there is not a great need for extending LGBT+ individuals support needs.
The factor of not disclosing (for what the ONS has also recognised potential safety as well as privacy reasons) one’s sexual or gender minority communities membership accounts for why still the vast majority of LGBT+ people are not Out. In the case of elderly community members this is often in the 80%+ area, but, more encouragingly for 16 – 24 year olds the majority who are not Out is much smaller and constantly diminishing.
IT IS IMPORTANT THEREFORE TO IF ABLE, SAFELY, TO ANSWER Q26 and/or Q27 as accurately as possible by both LGBT+ and LGBTQ communities members, as the more who do so, the harder will it be for fuller and better support on the services we need or wish to see, including more robust tackling of anti-LGBT+ prejudice in bullying in locations such as schools and workplaces/offices, to be withheld or resisted.
ONS / Census, ‘Why take part’ information:
The following from the ONS explains why – separate to the legal requirement to complete — we should take part in the Census, for our own and communities and societies benefit, and also that the online version has engaged with the need for flexibility and many more options to help the individual completing the questions feel they can express their individuality and life experience much more fully.
‘ … We have designed the census to be easy to complete, and to help others complete, and we provide a wide range of support services to ensure people can meet their legal requirements. …
‘… Asking about religion, sexual orientation and gender identity is important because information from the census helps to plan and fund services. It’s used by businesses, charities and other organisations. Ultimately census information helps to monitor and tackle inequalities. We encourage people to complete these questions in the way they feel best represents them.
‘… We want people to be able to identify as they choose in their census questionnaire. The online census form has a ‘search-as-you-type’ function, which means that a list of possible responses appears as you type. People are not restricted to the tick-box options, and are also free to type in any answer which doesn’t appear on our list.
Source: Section 9, page 14 of the Local Authority Guidance: How to help the public take part in Census 2021
Further information on Q26 from the ONS online guidance notes:
Your answer helps your local community by allowing charities, public bodies, and local and central government to understand what services people might need.
This information helps monitor equality between groups of people of different sexual orientation. Your answer will help public bodies to identify discrimination or social exclusion based on sexual orientation and work to stop it from happening.
Network NOTE: Re Q27, the considerations given in the final paragraph apply equally as strongly to our Trans and Non-Binary communities.
However, less than two weeks before Census Day (21st March 2021) an important and controversial High Court Judge ruling has been made on the Census guidance for completing the question.
Census 2021: Judge orders change to sex question guidance — Part of the census guidance for England and Wales accompanying the question on a person’s sex should be withdrawn, a High Court judge has ordered.
Campaign group Fair Play for Women argued it unlawfully allowed “self-identification” as male or female…. Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56338666