Census I don't belong.

[Devlesko]

I'm equally sadened and angered.
Every other ethnicity covered as far as I know, all other travelling groups rightly so. Roma who are here from Eastern Europe.

We have been told by campaigners to stand up and be counted so that we can access healthcare and schools.
Now we are white other, not a mention.

It's not just semantics we are all different ethnicities with separate cultures, the only similarity is we travel, or try to. Our DNA is distinctive to our ethnicity Irish and Romany are completely different.

What is a gypsy? What ethnicity? It doesn't exist. But more recently those who are interested and thank you, know that Romany originate from India, around 1,500 years ago and have been in the UK for 500 years.
During which time we have been enslaved, tortured, murdered, transported, hated by society and persecuted by Kings and Governments.

I'm sick of the back door laws to erode if not annilate our culture. It just isn't fair. Society tars us all with the same brush, but you can ask any health visitor who has ever visited how family orientated we are and spotlessley clean.

Gypsy is a slur for American Romany and Europeans. But it's that bad in the UK where we face racism daily that it's hardly worth fighting the use of the word "gypsy"

I'm writing this because I know whilst theres a few on here with Romany links, Mumsnet is a new audience and apart from me very few would venture. That is nothing personal, just a different culture.

So when you see us being refused service in a pub, restaurant, wedding reception venue, don't spit at us, laugh, call us names, we are human.

Sorry if I have misunderstood, but the 4th option on the census form is Roma...

Now we are white other, not a mention

Except that's not true.

@LordEmsworth

Sorry if I have misunderstood, but the 4th option on the census form is Roma...

I thought I saw it too!

I understand the frustration, but to put every single ethnicity on the list would be confusing (therfore prone to incorrect answers) and it would be extensive.

I'm Romany, Jewish, Welsh and English. There is no way for me to tick all of those boxes, I just have to pick whichever one seemed to fit the closest. It's like when you're pregnant, I told them my ethnicity and because it's such a jumble they referred me for almost every test they could think of. It isn't targeted at any one specific group.

Romany are not Roma, we have British passports, we have a different culture and language.
We are not Roma, I have Roma friends on fb, different culture .
The government can't even be bothered to find out.
Looks like nobody else gives a stuff either.

Some Travellers call themselves Gypsies. That's why those two are together. The next box is Roma. I don't understand why you wouldn't tick that, but that might be me. If it's not correct you have the option of writing what you believe the correct ethnicity is in the box.

There's Roma, Gypsy and Irish Traveller. How many more separate categories do you think we need for a tiny minority of people?

Honestly, I have no idea what is difference between Roma and Romany and google isn't helping either.

Roma and Romany are distinct from one another. Roma was given a separate tick box. Gypsy and Irish travellers were lumped together despite also being distinct from one another. Gypsy is the term here for Romany which is considered a slur in the U.S. that's my understanding, please correct me if I'm wrong OP.

@InkieNecro

I understand the frustration, but to put every single ethnicity on the list would be confusing (therfore prone to incorrect answers) and it would be extensive.

I'm Romany, Jewish, Welsh and English. There is no way for me to tick all of those boxes, I just have to pick whichever one seemed to fit the closest. It's like when you're pregnant, I told them my ethnicity and because it's such a jumble they referred me for almost every test they could think of. It isn't targeted at any one specific group.

So by your definition we should just suck it up and not have our needs met because they are completely different to Roma. We have different needs.

I never said that. What needs are not being met by you typing your ethnicity into the box?

@Balaur

Roma and Romany are distinct from one another. Roma was given a separate tick box. Gypsy and Irish travellers were lumped together despite also being distinct from one another. Gypsy is the term here for Romany which is considered a slur in the U.S. that's my understanding, please correct me if I'm wrong OP.

It's a slur everywhere, but I fight the word in advertising, it infuriates me. I was doing that a couple of weeks ago when the Pontins thing came up. Whilst it was Irish travellers it angered me so much. We have too many battles to fight and this seemed as though it was a start of an identity and societal education about who we are.

I used other to put my children as English, Latino, American and Western European. You could just do that. If you don't fit one box use the other to define yourself

Roma people are very different from Irish travellers. Thank you OP for this thread. Roma people were also one of the groups of people singled out by the Nazis.

Well @Principessa2070 wins dick of the day! Congratulations!

Sorry yes, all distinctly different.
See a news report about Roma in England and then look at a campsite owned by the families.
Many Roma have gone now, there are hardly any, we left the EU.
We are here and want to travel the U.K not Europe, unless a long holiday or pilgramage.

t's a slur everywhere, but I fight the word in advertising, it infuriates me. I was doing that a couple of weeks ago when the Pontins thing came up. Whilst it was Irish travellers it angered me so much

So why is it in the census because of consultation with community leaders and activists? Gypsy is used by people to describe themselves. Fight them.

To accurately describe everyone we'd need thousands of boxes. There isn't one for me, I'm not whining about it.

So what do you think the options should be OP? I'm surprised gypsy was on there - change that to Romany?

My understanding is that the terminology for these categories was put together with the help of an advisory group which included representatives from organisations such as Friends, Families and Travellers and the National Federation of Gypsy Liaison Groups. Of course, not all individuals will identify with all terminology, but I don’t believe your identity group has been deliberately ignored, nor that it was intended to be a slur.