LGBT charity calls for census to collate sexual orientation and gender identity
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An LGBT charity has called for the next census to collate data on sexual orientation and gender identity, saying the community in Ireland is essentially “invisible” without it.
LGBT Ireland said capturing the data in 2027 would allow for insights into any potential disparities among the community, some of which have already been found in other countries such as the US.
Policy and research manager Pádraig Rice said there is important data concerning LGBT+ people in Ireland that is not available, saying it is time to “turn on the lights”.
“We need to capture and highlight issues and make the LGBT population visible within the census data because currently, we're essentially invisible, and that needs to change,” he said, adding that other countries are “moving ahead” of Ireland.
In 2017, the UK carried out a census test with new questions on sexual orientation and gender identity before officially adding the questions in a census carried out in 2021, which revealed the country’s LGBT+ population for the first time.
The initial survey in 2017 found that the new questions did not affect the response rate, with LGBT Ireland calling on the Central Statistics Office to follow suit.
Similarly, the US has collated data on sexual orientation and gender identity since 2021 and has already made noteworthy observations, including the disproportionate impact of the covid-19 pandemic on LGBT people.
A spokesperson for the CSO said the submissions are currently under review.
“New and changed questions have to be tested before inclusion in a census, and this will happen in a Census Pilot, which will be held in September 2024,” it said.
The final content of the 2027 Census form will be subject to Government approval.