Booking a Covid test - gender option only

[ChelseaCat]

Apologies if highlighted on a previous thread. It’s so bloody ridiculous 😡

I noticed this a few days ago as well! I mentioned it in the feedback.

Did this yesterday and thought it was something there was only two options and of course you just want to get it sorted and get a bloody test. But... the result is absolutely meaningless data isn’t it! Wish I’d had my head on straight to point it out in the comments, Stars

I report on medical research. Gender is used to mean sex all the time in medical journals. It’s taken as read that this refers to biological sex.

I fully agree that separating the concepts of sex and gender is extremely important and useful for feminism, but it’s not going to happen anytime soon unfortunately.

I don’t know how you could get all the researchers around the world to start, or return to, using sex instead of gender. I suppose lobbying journal editors to change it each time? I think we’re probably stuck with it and need to work around it somehow.

It isn't much consolation, but this manages to be equal-opportunities upsettery, as the madeyuppy gender people don't have a special box to tick. Apparently someone even started a petition for a non-binary option, as if a swab cares. Should have just stuck to sex.

They have. It's a government petition ending in 2021

@OhGodWhatTheHellNow

You would think they’d want actual biological data for something like this - monitoring/statistics etc

[quote ChelseaCat]@OhGodWhatTheHellNow

You would think they’d want actual biological data for something like this - monitoring/statistics etc[/quote]
I mean, clearly they DO want the biological data, they just don’t know the word for it! SEX!

You would, wouldn't you. However as Caroline Criado Perez found out recently, researchers don't seem to be too bothered .

'We do not hold information on the number of staff who are fit tested by sex, this essentially is irrelevant data, a person’s gender has no material bearing on the ability to pass or fail a FIT test and it is therefore unnecessary to specifically record this.'

newsletter.carolinecriadoperez.com/issues/invisible-women-this-essentially-is-irrelevant-data-285129

Presumably brought to us by the same people who put a sex question in the census and then advise folx to answer it with how they're feeling today.

Well that’s a bit silly considering it’s important to get accurate details of sex, race, age, location etc to study the illness.

The non-binaries have a petition to include a third option. A Tsunami of 488 so far. No doubt the health service will implement this immediately.

If they can explain how this is in any way relevant when collating stats then I’d love to see it,

I fully agree that separating the concepts of sex and gender is extremely important and useful for feminism

It's extremely important for science. I'm trained in science. I'm an academic. What new bollocks is this??

Who taught you anthropology? Did they study sculpture at St Martin's College? Did you take them to a supermarket?

When I went for the virus test, one of the nice women there filled in the application form for me on her phone. I was startled when she asked me if I 'identify as white'.

Another surprise was when I got recently was an email from Spotify which had me down as non binary. The world's gone mad.

JamieLeeCurtains are you talking to me? I’ve no idea what you’re getting at with your pulp lyrics.

All I’m saying is using gender to mean sex is endemic in medical research. I wish it wasn’t but it’s not going to change anytime soon.

(I am a bit tipsy so forgive me if I’ve missed the point)