Been asked my gender on a FIT form - how to challenge?

[FatLarrysBanned]

I have to send off a sample and the form inside the pack for the lab asks for the usual details but also my gender m/f? There is an option to give feedback on the process which I would like to do. How does the following sound?

"The form inside the pack for the GP to complete should refer to sex not gender. This is particularly important when dealing with medical matters. However a person chooses to identify regarding their gender preference has no impact on their biological make up and should accurately reflect their sex at birth. Sex and gender should not be conflated, they are 2 separate and distinct identities. One is a medical fact and the other is a social construct."

I've never really put my head over the parapet before so I'd really appreciate some reassurance that my comment makes sense. Why would my gender be needed for the testing of a poo sample?

No, apparently there are 100s of genders and we seem to be 'discovering' new ones all the time.

I would just be tempted to cross out gender and write 'assume this is a typo and you meant sex'.

I think that's an excellent response.

I would put "don't know" next to the gender question.

But if they’re asking for gender not sex male people who identify as a women, and vice versa, will mess the stats up.

Because they are not the same thing. And in medicine it does matter, somtimes quite a lot.

I wish that were true: I don’t think that people do understand the difference. People are still squeamish about saying the word “sex” and think that “gender” is the polite word for “sex”. I made a booking for pet boarding and was asked what gender the animal was. I’ve also read research papers on autoimmune diseases where the word gender is used but sex is clearly meant and gender is irrelevant.

You’re either born male or female, we all know what the tick boxes are referring to so pick correct box and carry on filling the form out. I’m very aware it matters in medicine hence why the question is asked

I’m very aware it matters in medicine hence why the question is asked

So ask the correct question and there will be no ambiguity.

I did one of these tests a few months ago. I rolled my eyes, gritted my teeth and wrote "Male." There was nothing about feedback.

But it's important and not just a tick. You are minimising the invisibility of women in research and medical issues.

Female bodies respond differently to drugs. Even one male identifying as female can massively distort data and medical findings.

I'd keep it much more concise: 'The word is sex, not gender. My sex is female.'

This thread is a bit of a zombie.

That said, when even a person's NHS no. can't be guaranteed to accurately record their sex, gender can mean anything and gender zealots can't even be trusted not to misconstrue 'biological sex', i can't think of a foolproof answer.

But the OP isn’t suggesting a "complaint". They’ve asked for feedback, so why not give it?

On the other hand I completed a survey from the Office for National Statistics recently and I had a question that read 'sex: male/female'.

No other options.

They're seeing sense finally.

Absolutely send this feedback OP, it’s factually correct and respectfully written. I wouldnt think twice and often fill-in the feedback on these types of forms but I’m much less polite and far more ranty.

edited typos

Fixed it:

Do you identify as Male?
Do you identify as Female?
Do you identify as Non Binary?
Do you identify as Other?
I just am.

I would love to see this on a form. I have got Ryan Gosling singing ‘I just am’ in my head.

In line with GDPR, personal data should only be collected etc where it is important.

Gender identity is very important for those who want to share it, but not at all important or relevant to anyone else. However, data should not be collected unless required for a specific purpose.

Where sex data is needed, it should be collected, the same for gender identity data. Otherwise, it shouldn't be asked for.

I think companies that are cottoning on to the need to separate sex and gender are automatically adding gender identity fields alongside sex fields. They shouldn't be going this - even if they give a 'prefer not to say' option. They shouldn't be handling person data about gender identity unless they actively need to use this data.

I do yougov surveys and they ask for gender. I grit my teeth and fill it in as otherwise you can't move on.

However, I always link to this in the free text box at the end:
https://osr.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publication/collecting-and-reporting-data-about-sex-and-gender-identity-in-official-statistics-a-guide-for-official-statistics-producers/pages/1/

as well as always saying something along the lines of 'if you can't collect such a fundamental piece of information properly then how can we trust any of your survey results?'

I still get surveys so I haven't been blacklisted yet - although maybe they just don't read the free text boxes?

I always give similar feedback on YouGov surveys too. I guess they don’t read the comments, if they haven’t banned me or you but also haven’t changed what they ask for.

Too long. I would ask “why is it medically necessary to know a person’s gender? Knowing a persons sex is what is medically important, why are you not requesting to know a person’s sex?” Then amend the form to article out gender and state sex