If we can’t monitor inequalities due to sex
Part of the census guidance for England and Wales accompanying the question on a person’s sex should be withdrawn, a High Court judge has warned.
Campaign group Fair Play for Women argued the guidance unlawfully allowed “self-identification” as another sex.
The guidance says people could use the sex listed on their passport – which can be changed without a legal process.
Well of course the sex itself can’t be changed – the word you put on your passport can be changed. Changing a word on your passport isn’t magic; it can’t change your sex or age or species or planet of residence.
Taking place in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on 21 March, the census aims to provide a snapshot of the population of the country which can then be used to make decisions about services – and which this year will be used to understand the impact of the pandemic.
…
For the first time, it will include a question about gender identity as well as the one about a person’s legally registered sex. The decision had been welcomed by some trans people as a “step in the right direction”.
The right direction how? Should the census include questions about hairstyle, shoes, favorite books, preferred morning stimulant, travel plans, attitude to the monarchy?
Speaking before the hearing, Dr Nicola Williams, director of Fair Play For Women, said: “If we don’t have good data on sex we can’t monitor inequalities due to sex, and if we can’t measure it, we can’t make good policies to remedy it.”
Which is exactly what some people would like to see happen.
That could be interesting, as long as there would be an option not to answer these quæstions.
GW:
The gender identity questions are optional, at least.
The TRAs cannot have thought this through, since it looks like a disaster even from their own viewpoint.
“We’re allocating health care resources for the transgender. How many are there?”
“Don’t know.”
“Transgender issues should be at the forefront of our policy decision. Because there are — how many?”
“Don’t know.”
“We want to know how many trans people were violently attacked last year.”
“Don’t know.”
On the positive side of their ledger, statistics will show that women have become more violent, and commit more sex crimes than they used to. So the idea they need “safe spaces” is now just silly.
Sastra,
Well, TAs want trans people to be seen as both a vulnerable minority and a significant power in the world, depending on which works best at any moment. Pinning down actual numbers might force them to pick a side.
Anyway, today’s ruling seems to be the best possible one: the sex question isn’t optional and the ONS’ guidance must now say this should be answered with the sex on people’s birth certificate or GRC. The gender questions are optional and can be answered in magical unicorn dust.
I suppose it might be useful to find out how many delusional people we’re surrounded by put part of me would rather not know.
I saw an argument about using pronouns, claiming that people who refuse to use “preferred” pronouns are wielding their petty powers and should be ignored. The reality, though, is that the power goes the other way, when people lose their jobs, their research funding, their social media accounts, and their reputations, and face verbal and physical abuse, all because they refer to people using correct sex-based language. So yes, both of those things mentioned.
Just asking this question is ACTUAL VIOLENCE!
I’m sure that after this ruling, a number of people’s heads are going to explode. Perhaps also ACTUAL VIOLENCE? That’s why these things are supposed to happen in secret, behind closed doors. It keeps the splodey heads to a minimum.
Trans activists on the Census: you should tell people to answer the sex question as their self identified sex, and also the gender identity question the same. So a trans woman should answer “female” to the sex question, and to the gender identity question.
Census people: ok. Whatever you say.
Runs Census
Government people: so now the Census is in. How much money should we allocate to trans homeless services?
Underling: none. The UK has no trans people. Everyone’s sex and gender identity align. *shows graph* We do need… one non binary service though.