Fuming about this survey re violence against women and girls

[TamzinGrey]

I was delighted to receive an email from my local council promising to create ways to reduce VAWG in the borough and asking me to complete a survey.
I clicked on the link and answered all of the questions which were mainly about my experiences of male violence and aggression. It brought back horrible memories for me but it did appear to be a helpful survey.

When I got to the end I was expecting to be asked to tick a box asking whether I was female or male (for some reason men had also been invited to complete this survey about women's experiences)
Here's what came up:

Which of the following options best describes how you think of yourself?

Woman (including trans women)
Man (including trans man)
Non-binary
In another way

Is your gender identity the same as the gender you were registered at birth?

I'm bloody fuming. In a survey about violence against women and girls I wasn't allowed to describe myself as an actual woman. They just want to know how I "think" of myself.

I did make a comment about not believing that the council are taking VAWG seriously as I wasn't even given the opportunity to describe my sex as female.

Here's a link to the survey. Anyone can complete it but they do ask for a postcode at the end.

https://online1.snapsurveys.com/Interview/942ffa79-febf-44cb-
ada2-7d1b9ef608d3

Link doesn't work.

I know. Sorry I'm going to have another go.

https://online1.snapsurveys.com/Interview/942ffa79-febf-44cb-ada2-7d1b9ef608d3

online1.snapsurveys.com/Interview/942ffa79-febf-44cb-ada2-7d1b9ef608d3

Yeah gender ideology literally makes everything worthless. What is the point of this at all?

Yes it’s almost as irritating as the whole ‘chest feeding’ forced on us.

Filled it in and put a criticism on an open ended option at the end. Idiots. I'm a researcher and creating nonsense data questions like this really infuriates me.

You need to write to formally complain. And ask if they have read the FWS decision or taken appropriate legal advice. If all you do is comment on the survey it won't end up in front of the right people.

Resisting Gender-Based Violence:

VAWG is exclusively experienced by people who identify as female. Misogyny is targeted against the female gender, irrespective of biological sex. If you're being assaulted as a woman by a male-identifying attacker, the best defence is to tell him that you, too, have a masculine gender identity.

If this feels difficult for you, you may try telling him you're non-binary. Temporarily identifying as male is recommended, however.

Our advice is drawn from expert analyses by West Sussex Police, West Yorkshire Police, the Governments of Australia and Canada, Amnesty International and others, showing that 'biological females' are not inherently at risk. We therefore consider this advisory publication sufficient and complete.

Our Gender-Based Violence Committee has been disbanded. We thank the Committee members for their valuable insights.

I am sorry that having made the effort to talk about painful experiences you get to the end and feel totally undermined. If not insulted.

However ... and am not trying to excuse what they have done ... it is almost like they have totally accepted that the trans view of the world must come first, so the silly list of options implying trans is the same as biology.

But then add a qualifying question which if everyone answers (and most want) would allow them to work out biological females from trans females.

A total nonsense in terms of accurate collection of data.

But then even the Census got itself in a mess, because it thought it had to ask about both sex and gender.

To relate locally collected data it should be able to be easily compared to data for the area as a whole, via the census.

So Q1 what is your sex, male, female, prefer not to say (some people not say that because trans activism has so infiltrated society you need to add your sex registered at birth.

Then Q2 do you have a gender identity Yes / No
If yes, what is that identity?

In looking this up I found guidelines from the EHRC, which I find a bit odd.

The questions should be asked of those aged 16 and above.

Question 1 asks for sex at birth, while question 2 asks gender identity:

Question 1
At birth, were you described as….
Please tick one option
Male
Female
Intersex
I prefer not to say

Question 2
Which of the following describes how you think of yourself?
Please tick one option
Male
Female
In another way:

Question 1, when used in combination with question 2, allows for a transgender identity and/or history to be collected.

Where there is little space in a form or questionnaire, or where the information requirements need not collect the legal definition of gender reassignment, questions 1 and 2 alone are adequate for recording gender identity and capturing a transgender identity and/or history.

From https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/sites/default/files/collecting-information-gender-identity.pdf page 12 onwards

Or, just put "female / male". Everyone is one or the other, and knows which they are.

Rather too many people 'know' they are something other than what their DNA says.

In all instances these questions should only be asked if pertinent, ie have a purpose.

So here obviously do as it is about VAWG and in fact if collected appropriately could maybe through some light on one of those often quoted "statistics" that trans people are the group most likely to be victims of violence.

What a pile of …
so utterly disrespectful of the unfortunate trans identified females who’ve found that telling their attacker that they’re a man was no defence whatever. Only one type of trans person matters, yet again.

I made this up. I hoped to show how trans-first thinking can make the whole issue of female safety disappear. I'm sorry for not making it clearer that it's a thought experiment.

Sorry, missed Garlichound's clarification

We are constantly being told by the trans lobby that trans women are at risk of male violence, just like women are. If this were true, surely it would be beneficial for them to have a separate category so that they could point to actual data to prove it. Putting trans women in the same category as women, or the same category as men come to that, means that any information about risk is lost.

I'm sorry, OP. What idiots.

So depressing.

Thanks everyone for your support. I'm going to write to the Council. Not that it will get me anywhere (LibDem / Green coalition) but at least I'll be able to vent my feelings.

Whoever wrote that obviously thinks gender ID is more important to collect than sex. Is this advice going to be changed by the new guidance - whenever it appears?

Not sure I understand.

The first question is about sex. Which is correct. But what is strange is them including the option "intersex".

But even with that oddity they are puting sex first.

Then asking about identity second.

From the language used I think this is quite old. There may be a newer version. This is the only one that showed up.

It is ridiculous that so many of these forms have been created to try to seem inclusive amd I agree, male or female and an extra box for anything to write personal relevance. I have to read out such lists to vulnerable people who don't know what day it is, can't speak English, far too much confusion 😐

Do you have a screenshot?