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Original poster

NHS Feedback form asks 'what is your sex?' Guess what the three options are..

37 replies

CrumpetsReconsidered · 31/10/2018 06:56

I attended a clinic at my local hospital yesterday. Wonderful staff and service (thank you NHS). I wanted to leave feedback so picked up the leaflet. Imagine my surprise to see there are three options for 'sex': Male, Female and Transgender. Despite being a regular lurked on these threads I am still surprised and shocked. I was talking to family earlier in the week about whether my young relative understands it is not possible to change one's sex and the distinctions between sex and gender so this has thrown me. Has someone noticed this on NHS Feedback forms before?

NHS Feedback form asks 'what is your sex?' Guess what the three options are..
OP posts:
charlestonchaplin · 31/10/2018 07:56

Transgender isn't a sex category (though I wouldn't mind if it was made a legal sex category) but if you only give the choice of sex (male/female), transgender people will choose the category that best matches their gender which is more confusing as far as statistics are concerned.

It would be a bit different if the health professional is the one inputting observed sex, but what about passing transpeople? And if a person presents as female though you believe them to be male, would you be happy to record 'male' with the possible repercussions if the patient were to find out?

ChattyLion · 31/10/2018 07:44

Great to have retained sex as a category. But GRC skews that. But then it could ask about gender expression in such a way that sex based healthcare can be given with sensitive use of language for those who want that.

Rufusthebewilderedreindeer · 31/10/2018 07:42

crumpet

I agree with you, its not a sex

As others have said i think there shoukd be a sex question and a separate 'gender' question

WillChellam · 31/10/2018 07:33

Surely it should have male/female/intersex/hermaphrodite for sex option s and free text for gender.

At my latest NHS job appointment there were about 20 options on the equality and diversity form including the rather ambiguous "undefined lesbian"

Original poster
CrumpetsReconsidered · 31/10/2018 07:19

Is transgender a sex category now then? I am genuinely confused. How can I hope to explain biology to my children when I can't get these basics straight in my head?

OP posts:
LizzieSiddal · 31/10/2018 07:18

I like that, it’s using the term Sex for a start.

Also at least the NHS will know how many of the people are Trans.

Harrykanesrightsock · 31/10/2018 07:18

I don’t mind that. I would mind a trans women ticking the women’s box or trans man ticking the man box as that would be more of an issue with false data don’t you think?

Badmoonsarising · 31/10/2018 07:15

Better than “gender” as the only choice which I hate. Wouldn’t mind so much if they had sex and gender - and i could just ignore gender.

Original poster
CrumpetsReconsidered · 31/10/2018 07:08

No I don't think so Bardy. If we want to find out how the service is meeting the needs of people and analyse it by how they gender identify, fine. Design the form properly to do that. I think this form will confuse people and also lead people to think that there are three sex categories. My baby is a boy in terms of his sex. How would I or health staff identify him as transgender when he was born? I was attending a clinic that treats a female condition because of my sex.

OP posts:
KatVonGulag · 31/10/2018 07:07

That sounds good! TRAs won't be happy because it's actually a sensible thing.

charlestonchaplin · 31/10/2018 07:07

I actually don't mind this so much even though it isn't correct technically. It allows people to acknowledge their transgender identity and if it asks for a bit more detail (eg. MTF or FTM) you can work out their sex.

Obviously in some situations (arguably in this case) you need to know sex specifically. My issues are with conflating gender and sex, and the resulting effects on women's spaces, services and opportunities.

BlardyBlar · 31/10/2018 06:59

Seems better than if it asked for gender and asked what you identified as. Third spaces/options are an improvement on the erasure of sex aren’t they?

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