Closet nation?

Are we to remain a statistically closeted nation? Adrian Gillan argues that the Government - and its stats agency, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) - should start asking “the gay question” in the next national census; and that LGBT people themselves should be far braver in answering it!

Only one in 100 people recently described themselves as gay or lesbian in a Government survey into British sexuality, conducted by the Office for National Statistics. A further one in 100 described themselves as bisexual, 0.6% said "other" and – perhaps most tellingly of all – another 3% said they are not willing to declare their sexual orientation.

Other recent estimates by the Treasury suggest an overall figure of around 6%.

The Government says it hopes to introduce counting - to help ensure a more adequate and fair distribution of funds and resources targeting LGBTs at local and national level – but only once, it claims, a more reliable method of measurement can be established. Until such time, sexual orientation is not due to be included in the next mandatory 10-yearly national census in 2011 - despite people being quizzed about their race, and even if they are Irish.

In response, the TUC, Stonewall and others are lobbying to overturn the Government’s position - ideally ahead of a White Paper setting out its proposals, scheduled for the autumn (2008).

A still seemingly nervous, shy or teetering LGBT public - perhaps fearful that the requisite box-ticking might in some way infringe their privacy - may derive at least some reassurance from the fact that information about individual households garnered in a 10-yearly census is secret for 100 years, prior to which only the aggregate statistics are publishable.

Besides, whatever possible overall “undercounting” may well occur initially - not least due to internal factors within households, like children not being out to parents or vice versa - we surely, as a society, gay or straight, have to start counting sometime: trusting that the count would become more and more accurate, in a virtuous circle, as decades pass and taboos break down - in society and its composite family units.

En route, those of us that are prepared to be counted would at least thereby get the chance to secure the LGBT-related resources and services we deserve and need.

Although most major UK equality laws are now almost all in place, the recent British Social Attitudes report found that a third of people still view homosexuality as “always or mostly wrong”. Yet acceptance is a two-way street, and starts close to home - with ourselves. Closeted LGBTs must surely bear some responsibility for social inertia. And pay a price.

What chance broader social acceptance, whilst so many of us still seemingly cannot openly accept ourselves and stand up – relatively anonymous amongst others, yet empowered - and be counted?

Thus, the census should definitely give us the chance to be counted; and then it is very much up to us to then seize that chance.