England and Wales’s Sizeable LGBTQ Community Confirmed In Census
Image: For the first time, the census asked questions regarding sexual orientation and gender identity. Photo: MangakaMaiden Photography/Wikimedia Commons
The England and Wales Census 2021 asked questions about sexual orientation and gender identity for the first time and the results revealed some groundbreaking data.
The report by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) is conducted once in a decade.
From the census, around 1.5 million people (3.2) percent answered that they identify with an LGBTQ+ orientation, with more than 260,000 identifying as trans.
The question that was asked was “which of the following best describes your sexual orientation?” and then listed straight or heterosexual, bisexual, gay, lesbian, or other sexual orientation as the choices.
The result is further broken down, with a total of 748,000 of the 1.5 million identifying themselves as gay or lesbian. 624,000 identified as bisexual and 165,000 selected the “other sexual orientation” option.
It was highlighted that London was the region with the highest proportion of LGBTQ+ people. It is hoped that by capturing this data on people’s sexual orientation and gender identity, there will be better standards for the LGBTQ+ community and improve discrimination.
The results from the census are crucial, according to ONS director Jen Woodford.
“Having these first census estimates about the population [of England and Wales] in relation to gender identity, as well as sexual orientation at a local level, is crucial,” Woodford said, as reported by PinkNews.
“They will ensure decision-makers have the best information so they can better understand the extent and nature of disadvantage which people may be experiencing in terms of educational outcomes, health, employment, and housing.”
The Group Often Overlooked
People identifying as bisexual and pansexual make up 1.51 percent of the population of Wales and England.
This a statistic that doesn’t come as a surprise to Rob Davey, vice chair of Bi Pride UK.
“It’s not a surprise, but it’s absolutely great to have it officially confirmed by the census because it is indeed a large part of the LGBT community which is erased,” he said, as reported by PinkNews.
“You don’t see as much discussion about bisexual and pansexual issues as you do about gay and lesbian issues, and that can be within LGBT communities and organisations as well.”
