Australian Census To Ask Citizens Their Sexuality After LGBTQ Backlash

[Lori Dee]

Australian Census To Ask Citizens Their Sexuality After LGBTQ Backlash
Supporters have said questions about sexual identity would provide a more accurate snapshot of who Australians are and who they love.
Link to Full Article
NDTV News - Updated: August 30, 2024 12:33 pm IST

Australia's census will ask citizens about their sexuality for the first time, the government said Friday, a policy U-turn aimed at quelling anger from LGBTQ groups.

Supporters have said questions about sexual identity would provide a more accurate snapshot of who Australians are and who they love.

Just a day after his ministers explained the census change had been scrapped to avoid a divisive debate, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Friday that a question about sexuality would in fact be included in the 2026 survey.

Australia's statistics bureau has developed a new question about sexual orientation, which will now be tested before it can be included in the survey, he said.

It is compulsory to complete the census in Australia, with fines for those who fail to do so.

But people would have the option of answering the sexual orientation question or not, the prime minister said.

Equality Australia, a rights advocacy group, said it was now unclear how the census would affect trans and gender-diverse people, as well as people with innate variations of sex characteristics.

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Asking about gender identity is one thing, but asking about sexuality is crossing a line. What goes on in the bedroom is no one's business, especially the government. I agree the members of the LGBTQ+ community should be counted, but that can be a Yes/No question. Do you identify as a member or not? What do they intend to do with that information? It is a slippery slope when we are entered into a government database with name, address, gender, and sexuality. Census records are public information.

Hopefully, it is just another case of people not knowing the terms they are using, so don't know what questions to ask and what they mean is gender when they say sexuality. Trust no one. 

[Sephirah]

Yeah this is a good thing. I know there will always be people who think it's not enough, but the wheels of government, and change move slower than glaciers. Take every victory you can. And keep pushing for the next one. Eventually we will get there.

[Lori Dee]

Yeah this is a good thing. I know there will always be people who think it's not enough, but the wheels of government, and change move slower than glaciers. Take every victory you can. And keep pushing for the next one. Eventually we will get there.

I am more skeptical due to the current political climate all over the world. I worry that such a database could be used to target us, rather than help us. Next, we will be forced to get bar codes on our forearms. < shudders >

[Sephirah]

I am more skeptical due to the current political climate all over the world. I worry that such a database could be used to target us, rather than help us. Next, we will be forced to get bar codes on our forearms. < shudders >

I understand your trepidation, Lori. You're right that a lot of what's going on these days is seeming to be on the political right wing. The kind of thought patterns that celebrated Hitler. In Europe that's a very worrying thing. I have kind of a personal interest in this. One which I won't share, other than to say... people are too quick to blame a group of folks for things which, really, they ought to be looking at themselves.

We all know what happened to the Fuhrer, though, and that line of thinking. You have to have hope that people aren't that stupid as to let history repeat. Even though it does sometimes look like it might. Especially with the Orange Messiah you have over there. If he grew a tiny moustache... enough said. I am for Kamala. Tango Terry shouldn't even be allowed to be running. In any other democratic country, he wouldn't be. Because convicted criminals don't get to run for office. I know that's a divisive subject though so I will leave it there.

You're right, Lori, this is a thing all over the world. Half the time it feels like we're moving backwards rather than forwards. Which is a shame.

[Sephirah]

I don't know how much he will follow through with this now he's PM, but this is what Kier Starmer said a while ago..

https://www.thepinknews.com/2021/06/10/keir-starmer-labour-party-gender-recognition-act-self-id-trans-people-pride/

[Lori Dee]

people are too quick to blame a group of folks for things which, really, they ought to be looking at themselves.

So true. People forget that the people elected the Nazi Party because the people were fed up with the problems they were having and were looking for someone to fix it for them. Once the Party was in power a certain maniac took control by declaring a National Emergency.

Watch the documentary, "JFK to 9/11: Everything is a Rich Man's Trick" by a British Historian.

[Sarah B]

Hi Everyone

First off, I'm an Australian, secondly your gender is important for various reasons that do not need to be discussed here and should be included on the census.  Third I do not belong or associate with any 'LGBTQ' group.

As for including your sexuality.  My thoughts are the government should keep its nose out of our private lives.  However, given that the particular question will be an 'optional choice'.  Then I'm saying it should or can be included in the 2026 Australian Census.

However, I will not be answering that question if it is in the Census.

Equality Australia, a rights advocacy group, said it was now unclear how the census would affect trans and gender-diverse people, as well as people with innate variations of sex characteristics.[1]

All of the census's I have done, being me, I have not been affected by the exclusion of 'gender diverse people' questions and as time has progressed since I changed my life around the 'facilities and conditions' has improved, without a doubt.

Lori and Sephirah have made some good points and Lori nice catch, I don't tend to follow Australian news or politics much.  I do however have a keen interest in American politics.  Go figure!

Take care and all the best.

Love and Hugs
Sarah B
Global Moderator
[1]  Census question
@Lori Dee
@Sephirah

[Allie Jayne]

I'm an Aussie, and the questions on Sexuality and Gender were demanded by the LBGTQIA+ groups after the last Census.The Albanese government initially agreed, but backflipped due to the ugly attacks on LBGTQIA+ groups in previous campaigns, such as the last Federal Election.

This week, I rang in to my local ABC radio station after Albanese was questioned about this issue, to point out the reasons why at least Trans data was essential to justify better infrastructure. Coincidentally, the ABC news team had just reported on a Coroners findings that more data was needed to improve the plight of Trans people, and I pointed this out!

Albanese seemed to backflip again to include a question on Sexuality, but not Gender. The LBG population is much bigger than the trans population, and the Gov't thinks that placating the bigger group is enough, but the Trans Community has more at stake in this, and we need to keep pressure on the government to include our community.

Lori, I understand your sensitivity regarding this data, but Australia is in a different position to the US and UK in that we have a robust Federal Sex Discrimination Act (which was tested recently in Tickle vs Giggle) and this holds the attributes of Gender and Sexuality as protected. The general public sentiment in Australia is supportive of the Trans community, and the politicians know this. A number of Albanese's own ministers came out in support of LBGTQIA+ data inclusion, leaving the PM out on a limb with his own party.

There are still 2 years to the next Census, and we will fight to get Trans data included, although, I know it will still be a poor representation of the true numbers of trans people. Many won't declare they are tans on the Census, and I fear a huge part of the trans population won't even admit they are trans to themselves! The hope is that enough people will be honest, and the data will force some allocation of support to our community, as the Coroner has called for.

Hugs,

Allie

[Lori Dee]

Allie,

Thank you for clarifying that. I agree that the LGBTQ+ community needs that representation for government-funded programs. I'm not sure why they would need to know sexuality. I am hoping that someone just misspoke and said "sexuality" when they meant "gender".

[EDIT] It just occurred to me that sexuality would matter because LGB in the LGBTQ+ is sexuality. The TQ+ is gender. I stand corrected.