Events

Binary barriers: Representing trans & gender diverse populations in censuses & other population surveys: Mind the Gap Conference

July 30th-31st 2022

The 2021/2022 UK censuses represent significant steps forward for the creation of population estimates for LGBTI+ people. However, this progress has been hampered by unprecedented controversy, linked to the UK’s climate of transphobia (Hines, 2020). Academics such as Sullivan (2020) claim to be resisting the conflation of sex and gender in data collection, while promoting “legal sex” question guidance that if followed produces ambiguous data on both concepts, without singling either one out. From a queer feminist stand point, this paper argues that the conflation of sex and gender in the UKs censuses and other population surveys is not new and that the way to address this is by actively including trans and gender diverse people when designing surveys. Findings from a review of current UK population survey practices are utilised to highlight how some experiences of sex and gender are excluded. I then focus on how narrow conceptualisations of sex and gender in the latest censuses have prevented the production of data on the size of the UKs non-binary population and needlessly distorted what could have been ground-breaking data on sex and gender. Online focus groups and an online survey of 347 LGBTI+ people in the UK were utilised, to identify potential solutions to these issues. Showing that representing trans and gender diverse people in data will not hinder our understanding of gender inequality, has been one of the approaches adopted by trans inclusive researchers (Fugard, 2020). This paper goes further, by showing that queering survey methods is essential for gaining a useful understanding sex and gender. By working with survey respondents we can understand on what basis survey questions are answered enabling reliable and intricate presentations of populations.

More information can be found here

LGBTQ Data Summit: University of Glasgow

June 23rd 2022

Where do we go from here? The collection, analysis and use of LGBTQ data in Scotland. I will be presenting along side Roger Halliday (Research Data Scotland), Sharon Cowan and Ben Collier (University of Edinburgh), Vic Valentine (Equality Network/Scottish Trans) & kevin Guyan (University of Glasgow).

Will the digital ever be non-binary? The future of trans (data) rights: Computers, Privacy & Data Protection (CPDP)

May 25th 2022

A panel on data representation and privacy for trans people. I will be sharing insights from my work relating to how non-binary people and trans people more broadly can be represented in data. Watch panel here.

20th January 2022, 19:00

Launch event for Kevin Guyan’s fantastic book, Queer Data. I’ve been lucky enough to read some of the book and I’m sure it’s going to be an outstanding contribution to the discussions surrounding queer data. I am delighted to have been invited to participate on the panel for this launch event. The link to which can be foundhere

Reframing census debates: Essential criteria for representing trans people:Beyond the binary variable conference: FemQuants

6th September 2021

The 2021/2022 UK censuses represent significant steps forward for the production of data on the LGBTQ+ population. However, this progress has been hampered by unprecedented controversy, linked to the UK’s climate of transphobia (Hines, 2020). Academics such as Sullivan (2020) claim to be resisting the conflation of sex and gender in data collection while promoting “legal sex” question guidance that if followed produces more ambiguous data. This paper argues that the conflation of sex and gender in the UKs censuses and other population surveys is not new and that the way to address this is by incorporating trans representative survey practices. Findings from reviewing current UK population survey practices will be utilised to highlight core limitations in how sex and gender are represented. The paper will then focus on how narrow conceptualisations of sex in the census have prevented the production of data on the size of the UKs non-binary population and needlessly distorted what could have been ground-breaking data on sex and gender. Potential solutions to these issues will be discussed based on preliminary findings from direct engagement with groups currently overlooked by the UK’s representation of sex and gender in surveys. Showing that representing trans people in data will not hinder our understanding of gender inequality has been one of the approaches adopted by trans inclusive researchers (Fugard, 2020). This paper aims to go further by showing that trans representative survey practices are essential for gaining an accurate understanding sex and gender.

Fugard, A. 2020. Should trans people be postmodernist in the streets but positivist in the spreadsheets? A reply to Sullivan. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 23, 525-531.

Hines, S. 2020. Counting the cost of difference: a reply to Sullivan. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 23, 533-538.

Sullivan, A. 2020. Sex and the census: why surveys should not conflate sex and gender identity. International Journal of Social ResearchMethodology, 23, 517-524.

Conducting Research with LGBTQ+ People: SGSSS

June 2021

A twice repeated 3 hour workshop for the SGSSS summer school

What will the census tell us?: Working with and representing LGBTQ+ people: University of Brighton’s Centre for Transforming Sexuality and Gender

24th February 2021

The workshop will be split into two, with the first half focusing on the 2021/2022 UK census representation of LGBTQ+ people. The second half will be dedicated to knowledge exchange on practical elements of engaging with LGBTQ+ people.

Conducting Research with LGBTQ+ People Using Online Resources: SGSSS

2th November 2020

Having been awarded the student led training fund I am producing online training on conducting research with LGBTQ+ people. The resources included a video presentation, resource list and a participant Q & A and reflection session over Zoom. All resources produced can be found here

Improving how population surveys represent, sex,gender and seuxality in the UK: Glasgow ReproducibiliTea

24th July 2020

Presentation can be found here

18th June 2020