Scotland census - Make sure you request paper copy

[NonnyMouse1337]

Please make sure you request a paper copy of the census. Do not fill it in online. Information will be soon be provided on what exactly is to be written. Please tell everyone you know to do the same.

twitter.com/ForwomenScot/status/1498259044494098435?s=20&t=Z9vHKzo5INWuJLRQlm0YiQ

I suspect not wanting to break the law affects what FWS can recommend. Wish I'd seen the individual copies thing before I requested our copy. Didn't realise you could get more than 1 per household

ForWomen.scot have some great ideas, including putting 'believer in biology' as your religion. They also suggest you can write upside down! All their suggestions are legal - follow them on Twitter and Facebook.

Yea I am following FWS and totally support them. Just I don’t like this phrasing, I appreciate the options are limited tho. Not sure what writing upside down will achieve?

TBH it wouldn't be my choice of phrase either, but if 5,000 people enter it, it will be reported in the stats. Writing upside down is to make like a bit harder for them, as is folding the form multiple times. Ways of showing you don't agree with the sex question guidance without getting into trouble.
Another reason to submit a paper copy is that any genealogists searching in 100 years time may find digital records have been corrupted, whereas the paper ones will survive!

There’s a thread in scotsnet just now where a poster has said the 5000 people thing is an urban myth. Or maybe it’s just the suggestion that it will become a religion. I’d imagine it would need to be reported in some way. I hope it will!

The making it harder thing - to me just seems mean to the probably minimum wage paid people who have to handle this. And doesn’t connect the protest to the cause so what’s the point, folk could be protesting about anything. I’ve ordered my copy so will probably do the biology comment, but I feel a bit frustrated. I guess it’s the fucking bonkers decision to question the way they have that is the frustration, that there is no way to challenge it that feels congruent for me.

twitter.com/ForwomenScot/status/1498998924169957376

Thanks zombie, I’ve read all the advice, I’m just grumbling that I don’t like any of the suggestions much.

There are far more than 5,000 women in the groups up here.

Could someone tick "yes' to the trans identity question and say they identify as a badger every second Tuesday? Asking for a friend.

Should all the men in our household identify as female on census day?

Just thinking of the extra funding for maternity units and breast cancer screening services?

I've just requested a paper copy online just by putting in my postcode and picking my house number (I haven't received my letter yet). The only other info I was asked was the number of people in the house and that could change between now and census day.

It occurred to me that I could also request paper copies for my friends and neighbours (or they for me). I wouldn't, but I'm tempted.

I can sadly confirm that 5000 people cannot form a religion this way as I was part of the cohort who tried to get Jedi recognised as a religion 20 years ago... however I believe at the time they did report how many people filled that in as an answer. It would be nice to have a similar consensus on what to fill in though.

Quick question for those who have already applied for paper copies online - could you ask for multiple copies that way too? Or should I phone?

Only one form per household so I don't think you'd be allowed to order multiple copies to one address. If you're wondering f you could apply for other households on their behalf (obviously at their request/with permission) the I think you can but each request would have to be separate. That's just IMO though.

'Believer in biology' also doesn't work for people with religions they want recorded.

One thing that surprised me was the letter didn't make it clear what 'census day' meant - that you are meant to record everyone present in your house on that night to give a snapshot. And filling it in early means things like people in hospital or away from home will be missed and others may appear in several census returns (eg students).

@Over600Ecalypts

Quick question for those who have already applied for paper copies online - could you ask for multiple copies that way too? Or should I phone?

It asks how many people you expect to be in the household as part of the order process ( I ordered it online )

@Over600Ecalypts

Quick question for those who have already applied for paper copies online - could you ask for multiple copies that way too? Or should I phone?

You can order individual ones for over 16s but also need to do a household one if you do this. So I have 3 coming. At the same bit where you request a paper copy there’s a link saying something like ‘request individual copy’.

'Believer in biology' also doesn't work for people with religions they want recorded.

As far as I know it is fine to record your religion AND tick the Another box and write in "Believer in biology".

I can understand if some people are reluctant to do that but can also see that coming up with a plan that is legal, keeps women recorded on the census, doesn't increase trans numbers, is likely to be publicly recorded and still be supported by a maximum number of people is quite a difficult task.

FWS's newsletter is online here: mailchi.mp/01bdf2aa8854/census-action

They are suggesting a household paper copy is requested - instructions on how to do this are on your census letter.

The main householder fills that one in, and then everyone else in the household can (if they want) also order an individual paper copy to fill in just for themselves - how to ask for one is detailed in the newsletter. This should hopefully increase both the number of believers in biology and cause inconvenience to the census authorities.

I think it's great - the phrasing is clear and to the point, and if thousands of us write it in, that's a strong message to send to the government, but also to future generations of women in Scotland.

I will tick the box for my religion and add 'believer in biology'. I will also write my answers upside--down! I appreciate that this makes it more difficult for the people processing the answers - but having done this sort of work myself in the past, I expect it will relieve some of the boredom. It makes it more difficult and expensive for the government to process, and it's a good form of peaceful protest.

I don't agree with putting glitter in the envelope though. I hate glitter, and I do think that's unfair to the poor sod who is opening envelopes. They shouldn't have to deal with that. I also think it's a bad idea generally to put things in envelopes that could be misconstrued as weapons by bad faith people.

In a way it doesn't matter that the message or phrase used is not 100% expressing what I think on the matter. What matters is many women (and men) sending a loud signal.

Requested a paper copy.

Got mine this morning. Have requested a paper copy.
Thanks.

Recording the answers upside down won't achieve anything! Why would it? They aren't going to note how many people did that. I am strongly gender critical but I don't think that any of these options will achieve anything other than wasting paper. If there's an option for submitting feedback then I'd rather write my criticism of gender in there.

Thanks for this - I've requested 3 paper copies