Coronavirus shows why it’s vital to distinguish sex and gender - article in the Spectator

[stumbledin]

Dont think the article says anything that hasn't been said already, but posting as much because yet again have to rely on right wing press to make this point, as both liberal and left press are too frightened to publish something like this.

www.spectator.co.uk/article/Coronavirus-shows-why-its-vital-to-distinguish-sex-and-gender

I've just read it - it's great.
I'm not so sure I would class the Spectator as right-wing though. Sure, there are some writers that might be so but Johnson is criticised on there as are other Tory politicians.

Thanks for posting.

An important read.

Good clear article.

One in 50 male prisoners identify as trans!
I had NO idea it could be so many.

Not a good start:

"Knowing that men and older people are more likely to die and that certain ethnic groups are also more at risk "

Older people are biologically more likely to die. Almost certainly men biologically also. No evidence that ethnic groups have any biological disadvantages. There is the fact that 13% of Pakistani & Bangladeshi men work as drivers (taxis, etc.), but this essentially is a stereotype in the way that transwomen may adopt stereotypes about femininity - it's not inherent to being Pakistani/Bangladeshi.

One in fifty? Worse than we thought then

One in 50 male prisoners identify as trans!

Thread from last year.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3633714-One-in-50-prisoners-identify-as-transexual

Shoots

There is compelling evidence that vitamin D deficiency is a factor and people with darker skin in the North have higher levels of deficiency. All but one of the doctors who died were BAME.

aru.ac.uk/news/vitamin-d-linked-to-low-virus-death-rate-study?fbclid=IwAR1hBFMiZAdqb4xy3Voeplpgp7etn065lTzKOMyIv1qQnkvK9Q0VZt-5f5g

"The UK census has collected data on sex since its inception in 1801, yet the census authorities plan to advise respondents to the 2021 census that they may answer the sex question according to their gender identity. This will damage the ability of the census to monitor inequalities between women and men, and to assess the sex-differentiated impacts of Covid-19. The 2021 census will be remembered as the Covid census. It should provide a unique opportunity to analyse the impact of the pandemic across social groups. It would be unfortunate if that opportunity was placed in jeopardy through the unforced error of muddled guidance on the sex question."

Archived Spectator article: archive.is/825Ue

That information might be - should be - incorrect.

Help Shape Our Future
The 2021 Census of Population and Housing in England and Wales

paragraph 1.31

"ONS also proposes questions on gender identity (while keeping the existing question on sex) and sexual orientation. As with the question on religious affiliation introduced in the 2001 Census, we believe these new questions (on sexual orientation and gender identity) should be voluntary and no individual should be forced to answer these questions who does not want to. The Government and UK Statistics Authority will now consider the appropriate mechanism to ensure this is the case. The new topics will all help government bodies by meeting the need for better quality information for monitoring equality impacts on communities."

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/765089/Census2021WhitePaper.pdf

oops! Forgot to add this:

Relevant to prisons and the 2021 Census:

3.7 The census will also enumerate all people resident on the census date in communal establishments such as hospitals, nursing and residential homes, and hotels. Special arrangements will be made to enumerate residents in prison service establishments and immigration detention centres, on ships in ports and in military camps, and other population groups not resident in private households, such as persons travelling with fairs.

4.45 The census must reflect the lives of people living in communal establishments (such as hotels, hospitals, boarding schools, or prisons) as well as households. Methods of reaching such people will differ depending on the size of establishment and the varying levels of difficulty involved in making contact and ensuring that residents complete their returns. In some types of CE, individual paper questionnaires will be completed by residents. In others specific arrangements will be made following initial contact with the local authority or other managing agency about the level of support needed, and the most appropriate method of completion. CE follow-up will be conducted by census field staff who will receive appropriate training for the role.

It will be interesting to see how many Male prisoners select other than Male "Gender". The Gender question is voluntary though.

(Male prisoners with a GRC would, of course, answer F to the "sex" question).

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/765089/Census2021WhitePaper.pdf

Ethnicity/race is a factor in several illnesses. We know people from Pakistan/India living in the UK are much more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if they become overweight than white Europeans. Many illnesses are more prevalent in certain ethnic groups eg sickle cell anaemia, thalassemia possibly because those diseases gave protection against malaria that was common in the countries they lived in for generations. People with white skins get more malignant melanomas. I think looking properly at why Covid19 has killed more people in certain groups is more important than dismissing it as not a suitable topic to look in to

ONS also proposes questions on gender identity (while keeping the existing question on sex) and sexual orientation. As with the question on religious affiliation introduced in the 2001 Census, we believe these new questions (on sexual orientation and gender identity) should be voluntary

This is misleading because it is being proposed to tell people they can answer the sex question as follows:

Rehearsal guidance for sex question

Sex

What is your sex?

Select either “Female” or “Male”.

If you are one or more of non-binary, transgender, have variations of sex characteristics, sometimes also known as intersex, the answer you give can be different from what is on your birth certificate.

www.ons.gov.uk/census/censustransformationprogramme/questiondevelopment/genderidentity/guidanceforquestionsonsexgenderidentityandsexualorientationforthe2019censusrehearsalforthe2021census#guidance-for-the-sex-question-for-the-2019-rehearsal

Thank you Nauticant - what a load of sneaky, useless sods they are!

The Petition to the last Government expired with less than 5,000 signatures - and it did not anticipate that sort of stupidity! I don't know who started it as that is not shown on Expired Petitions but I think we need a new one that deals with that lunacy!

I will start a new thread - this needs a legal mind on it and I have not got one

'If I get ill don't give doctors important biological details that might save my life'

slate.com/human-interest/2020/04/transgender-health-care-covid-coronavirus-privacy.html

Thanks OP. Excellent clear article by Alice Sullivan.

If you are one or more of non-binary, transgender, have variations of sex characteristics, sometimes also known as intersex, the answer you give can be different from what is on your birth certificate. What stupid, pandering, unscientific guidance!!

I am incensed by supposed grown ups in charge of an important job giving away the word for what I am to any fucker who decides to play at female fancy dress. Are they doing the same with age or location or any other piece of information required? No. This offensive act of statistical fuckwittery is reserved for sex despite it being one of the simplest things to collect data on in the history of data. Why don't they just stick two fingers up at women and be done with it? Or three fingers identifying as two, whatever, it's clearly all the same to them.

That was wonderfully clearly set out.

Thanks for the link, OP.

What they're planning to do MoleSmokes is to make the "sex" question optional and to replace it with two "gender identity" questions. On a census.

Nauticant - thank you again!

Having read the Legislation (which is still in Draft form) and the Explanatory Notes - it is almost that bad but not quite:

• the Sex question is not optional BUT in the "small print" (the Explanatory Notes for Parliament) is it listed as an "identity", ie. rather than a fact, like Age.

This is reflected in the Guidance for Users, which is basically an invitation to roll the dice if you feel like it. The choice is still limited to Male or Female but non-binaries (and anyone else) are free to "identify" as the opposite sex. (Utter 'effin' madness!)

• the Gender Question is optional.

I was going to post a longer reply but have saved it. There are several earlier threads about the Census which I missed at the time, or I forgot about them.

We've been scrutinising plans for the census and yes, the sex question remains compulsory, and there are two response options: male/female.

In England, Wales and Scotland, there is a new, voluntary question on gender identity. Separate to the sex question.

However, the census authorities are planning guidance for the sex question that advises respondents to answer based on their self-declared gender identity. It's this that social scientists are concerned about.

This blog sets out the draft guidance being planned: murrayblackburnmackenzie.org/2019/12/10/draft-guidance-under-consideration-for-2021-census-sex-question-summary-of-proposals/

And this is our take on what the problem is: murrayblackburnmackenzie.org/2020/02/07/mbm-view-on-proposals-for-the-sex-question-in-the-uk-2021-census/

HTH!

Thank goodness some sociologists recognise the value of clear, meaningful, precise data. Excellent piece by Alice Sullivan.

The 'gender woo woo studies' people (eg. Hines & Phipps) would do well to take note & stop generating their nonsensical plop.

The census question on Sex is corrupted by the explanatary footnote (I took part in the test census last year)

The foot note makes it quite clear that you can answer the sex question on how you identify not just on the sex on your birth certificate.

I complained and got no reply.