Stand up and be counted!

The sexual orientation question is not off the agenda! A petition is running to get the question on the 2011 national census.

The petition urges the Prime Minister to challenge the Office of National Statistics (ONS) position on including a question on sexual orientation in the upcoming 2011 census and, as far as it is possible, compel the ONS to include such a question.

Why tick the box?

The inclusion of sexual orientation on the census would mean that at long last, the lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) community would be working towards building a true picture of the size of the LGB population in the UK.

When we are sat at home wondering whether or not to disclose our sexual identity on a form, we need to think that a tick in the box means that we are a step closer to ensuring that we build an accurate evidence base, so that local authorities and service providers know where to target their funds, research and service provision, to better meet the needs of their LGB communities.

It’s none of your business!

Sexual orientation is a very personal issue, and disclosing our sexuality on a form sometimes seems like another situation where we have to come out, and there are also fears around where personal information goes.

Stonewall recently highlighted in their "What's it got to do with you?" booklet, there are strict laws to make sure public bodies protect your details and deal with them responsibly.

With little evidence about the size of the LGB population in the UK, it is difficult to get the decision makers to take LGB needs and concerns on board. Having the sexual orientation question on the census would change this for the better.

This year the Lesbian & Gay Foundation launched Breaking the Cycle – a 5 year strategy underpinning the development of the LGB&T Sector in the North West – one of it’s key recommendations is that; “the ONS should not continue to exclude LGB&T questions from the national census.”

Click here to sign the petition and support the sexual orientation question getting on the 2011 census

For more information on the debate and to see the EHRC’s David Darton put forward the case for the inclusion of the sexual orientation question, only to be told by Charles Walker, MP for Broxbourne that it’s “ridiculous” and “silly”, click here.