Help me not have to work with Stonewall

[pinkmews]

Hi guys, for various well known reasons I'm sure we all think that Stonewall has drifted from its original purpose of protecting LGBT people and into well.... something different.

Here's my conundrum. I work in policy, we have to publish a survey. One of the questions is about sexuality.

We've had pushback as users of the survey could be under 16 (VERY unlikely, less than 0.2% of all users) and people have quite rightly asked whether we should be asking under 16's about their sexuality.

So.... I've been advised to contact Stonewall to get 'guidance'.

Can you guys think of any other organisations I can go to who might be more trustworthy?

LGB Alliance might be a good bet?

I would probably go for a children's org rather than a sexuality org, if the worry is safeguarding? NSPCC or similar.

I mean, if the concern is that under 16s shouldn't be asked about sexuality, you need to ask the org that can advise on surveying children rather than the org that can advise on sexuality. Not sure I'm explaining it very clearly ...

Yes I've just clicked about what you have suggested! We shouldn't even be talking to an org like Stonewall, we should be speaking to a blanket childrens organisation!

Weheeey you have solved my problem almost instantly! Thank you people!

I wouldn't go to the NSPCC. They always were a chocolate teapot but, after the wanking man debacle they are, imo, dangerous and blind to safeguarding

I'm a lurker, just joined to answer this question. You could look at the Market Research Society guidelines for researching children and teens. They are captured (story for another day) but quite sensible on this I think. They stipulate research with under 16s required parental/guardian consent. Also anything re sexuality would be classed as special category data so you have to be very careful.

That's great advice FlyPassed Well worth remembering.

It will be worth finding out whether the census are asking under 16s their sexuality question. I understand some questions don't appear if you give a birth date that is under 16. That could be a way around it if it's an online survey. The census might publish their rationale for asking certain questions. I know ONS are not polular on this board (!) but they are the standard setter for data collection. The other body would be the regulator - the office for statistics regulation (I think they are called that anyway). See if there are guidelines produced specifically for collecting data from the public.

Yes, the wanking man does mean they are unreliable in some ways, but I think if the OP has questions about approaching children, surveying children etc they should surely have decent advice on how to do that?

But looks like FlyPassed has got just the right org for the OP's dilemma.

• sorry by 'they', I mean NSPCC.

Regardless of your personal views you are being paid by your employer to do a job. It is not your decision whether to work with them.

Regardless of your personal views you are being paid by your employer to do a job. It is not your decision whether to work with them.

The OP post didn't say that they were required to work with them, but ignoring the instructions. So it may well be their decision to make.

And as people have mentioned, why would you even use Stonewall anyway? They're the best people to ask?

Maddy68 - how can you possibly know how much autonomy the OP has over the way she goes about her job? She said she’d been advised to contact Stonewall, not directed to, and she’s been given some very sensible advice here about other organisations who would be more knowledgeable on this issue.

I was advised to use stonewall by someone in an adjacent dept- it wasn't an instruction.

Upon thinking about it the people on this thread have made me realise that 'asking a sexuality question' doesn't mean 'asking someone if they are gay' it's asking EVERYONE gay/lesbian/bi, so Stonewall are too specific anyway.

We are going to mirror the census approach I think, pending advice. The census approach is that the sexuality question is being asked for the first time in the 2021 census, but not for those under 16.

@pinkmews

I was advised to use stonewall by someone in an adjacent dept- it wasn't an instruction.

Upon thinking about it the people on this thread have made me realise that 'asking a sexuality question' doesn't mean 'asking someone if they are gay' it's asking EVERYONE gay/lesbian/bi, so Stonewall are too specific anyway.

We are going to mirror the census approach I think, pending advice. The census approach is that the sexuality question is being asked for the first time in the 2021 census, but not for those under 16.

I meant to say 'gay/lesbian/bi AND hetero' in the paragraph.