As Britain prepares to file their Census 2011 forms, Stonewall's Ben Summerskill is urging the country's lesbian and gay community to boycott the question on religion – by identifying their beliefs as 'lesbian.'
Writing in this month's edition of his e-newsletter, Summerskill – the chief executive of the charity – encouraged the campaign as a protest against the fact that there's no direct
question about sexuality on the census.
The e-movement, which was started on micro-blogging site Twitter, also hosts a Facebook page which reads: "Understanding the make-up
of national, regional and local populations helps to make sure
communities are offered and are able to access services appropriate for
their needs.
"How can the Government expect to provide
services for the WHOLE nation for the next DECADE without knowing how
the population is made up?"
Currently, only 126 Facebook people have backed the site, but that is expected to grow.
However, it has already garnered criticism from within the gay community. Guardian journalist Brent Martin thinks the campaign is ill-conceived.
"What no one behind the protest has actually
explained is how counting the number of gay and lesbian citizens will
lead to ways of meeting any such needs," he wrote in the paper today.
"Indeed, implicit in the
assumption behind the protest is that there are actual needs that are
exclusive to the gay and lesbian community, currently unmet, that can be
identified in a census.
"I just don't think there are. The
thinking behind it is rather lazy because it assumes that we are a
homogeneous group with the same or relatively similar needs that a
census can identify. This is, of course, utter rubbish. Overall, we are
as diverse as the rest of society. We are black and white, poor and
rich, abled and less-abled and everything in between. Ironically, this
is exactly what groups like Stonewall have been arguing for years – that
sexuality makes no difference to our contribution to society.
"I've
tried very hard to think of some of these "needs" that we supposedly
have that are different to society as a whole, but I can't. I suppose
because I think of myself as a citizen of the UK first, and a gay man
second, I don't see myself as outside of society, but part of it.
"What also hasn't been
considered is the question of whether or not gay and lesbian citizens
actually want the state to know their sexuality. Many, both gay and
straight, would refuse to answer such a question simply because they
would think – rightly in my view – that the state has no business in a
citizen's bedroom.
"So,
were there to be a question about sexuality, its safe to say it would
certainly undercount the true number. What if, say, just 2% of the
population professed to be gay or lesbian. What then? I guarantee that
we will see the religious lobby and those who oppose the notion of equal
rights for all citizens regardless of sexuality trumpeting such figures
to promote their own narrow agendas and attempt to limit further moves
towards equality. That would be certainly completely counter to
the thrust of what those behind the current ill-conceived protest are
trying to achieve."
Currently, there are no plans for the 2021 census to include a question on sexuality.
