Interesting to ponder the reaction of TRAs back before the census, when they were advising trans people to falsify their census data by not identifying themselves as trans. And the furious kerfuffles about
Fair Play and other women’s organisations challenging the ONS to record proper data on gender identification vs sex.
Because (a) now we can see some data on the number of trans people and (b) it shows how important accurate reporting of sex vs gender is. Plus (c) if transwomen were encouraged to under-report themselves, then that was, as many women pointed out, a massive own goal in a whole number of ways, which TRAs seemed not to have realised.
Though, (d) since we have no evidence that suggests we shouldn’t take these census statistics at face value, the hard data suggests some conclusions that TRAs may not want to face. Oh dear!
More and increasingly robust data is needed. Much more light and research. More and more statistics. Because we are starting to see what’s underneath all the false stats and opinion and bluster about the “most oppressed” group, who may look, with some hard evidence, a lot different to the mythology and ideology that’s grown up around it all.