Good communication saves lives.

[Nearly Sane]

This started as an insomnia story when I saw the news story below about 'Our Future Story' at around 3 am on the BBC news site.

Thinking that filling the survey in might go some way to helping me sleep, I decided to fill it register. I was wary that it might be NHS England and Wales despite the BBC saying it was the UK it applied to since the BBC have made that mistake on occasion. On accessing the site though, it continued to refer to the UK, and yet I was still uneasy as it didn't specifically mention being applicable to the Scottish NHS.

To register, I had to fill in name, phone, email, and address via a post code look up. At this stage I again thought it might say England and Wales only, but no, the Glasgow postcode was accepted.

The next stage was to find an appt for the blood test they look to do, and we hit the first problem. I was offered 'local' appts in Lancaster, Blackpool, Burnley, Knaresborough, or Bradford. It very 'helpfully' tells you the distance in a straight line to the locations, the nearest being Lancaster at 133.4 miles. Hmmm...

Anyway, I thought I would try the questionnaire. First question was about what sex I am. There was an explanation that this meant sex at birth and why that was important as opposed to gender identity. The options were Male, Female, Intersex, Prefer Not To Say. Well 'intersex' isn't a sex, and even as a term for people with differences in sexual development, though all are either male or female, is seen as offensive to many who do have such differences. In a survey about social attitudes, this perhaps might have been not idiocy but on a survey looking at health issues...

The next 2 questions was about gender identity. Now my opinion on this ideology will be well known to anyone that's read much of the trans thread. I thought it odd that it was given such prominence but looked at the answers for the first question which was about what is my gender identity. There were choices, none of which applied since ai don't believe in the concept, a choice of 'Other' which doesn't apply either, and a Prefer Not To Say option - which doesn't work as it assumes that I have one. This would be the equivalent of a question asking my religion but not offering thr choice of none. There may be a question about religion later but I haven't completed the questionnaire for reasons we will cover later.

The second question about trans said it was about my 'household' and whether there was anyone who had ever identified as trans in it. I can't recall the options clearly enough here and part of the reason I have not completed the questionnaire is that at one later point it fell over. Trying to access to check the choices, and it's not working, possibly due to the volume of traffic from the BBC story. There was still no option to say I don't believe in this ideology.

The next question was about sexuality, and I can see the reasoning for this; it offered straight male, straight female - which if the sex question is answered correctly only needs straight - bisexual, asexual, pansexual, other, or prefer not to say. Asexual and pansexual are not SEXualities. 

After that came a question about how I would like to enter my height, cms, feet and inches, a third option that I can't remember, and 'I don't know'. Instead of this being asked above a box to enter my height, which would be in cms for info, I had to click continue to get to the next page, at which point the site fell over.

At that stage, I sent an email asking about whether they were offering any appts closer than 134.4 miles away, and why the questionnaire touted gender ideology. I await a reply.



https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-67303204

[SteveH]

This "gender identity" bollocks is getting seriously annoying. I read somewhere that in the new Doctor Who we are going to have a bloody drag queen imposed on us. I hate drag queens - they are sleazy and tasteless. I get nostalgic for the days when forms asked you your sex, gave you two options, and that was that.
Your bit about locations reminded me of a McCoy/Langford-era Dr Who that I watched last night, in which an American character, played by Stubby Kaye, on the phone to someone in America, said "I'm in Wales - it's in England".

[Nearly Sane]

This "gender identity" bollocks is getting seriously annoying. I read somewhere that in the new Doctor Who we are going to have a bloody drag queen imposed on us. I hate drag queens - they are sleazy and tasteless. I get nostalgic for the days when forms asked you your sex, gave you two options, and that was that.
Your bit about locations reminded me of a McCoy/Langford-era Dr Who that I watched last night, in which an American character, played by Stubby Kaye, on the phone to someone in America, said "I'm in Wales - it's in England".

I don't want to go too much down the gender discussion on this thread as that would be better in the long running thread mentioned in the OP, but would suggest that the issue with it isn't that it is annoying to you or me, but that it is danderous to the rights of women to same sex spaces, it is dangeous to children and adolescents in medicalising to the extent of dangerous irreversible medication and surgery (see the Keira Bell case as an example), and in the context of the thread leads to unclear badly thought out data collection.

The BBC's story is that a million people have signed up to this. I have because of the story added to the number bit I wonder how many have completed the questionnaire, and attended the blood test. Data gathering needs to be as accuarate as possible but also in voluntary data gathering it has to be a relatively easy experience. Leaving aside my objections to gender ideology, the questions themselves are confusing to many as it is based on a knowledge and acceptance of beliefs.
The location issue will have immediately put off some people as it seems to indicate that Scotland, and maybe other areas, are an after or neverthought.

[Nearly Sane]

Had replies from the support for the site. As regards location for the blood tests, nothing outside England at the moment, discussions to be held with devolved administrations next year. Suggested to them that they should say this up front as they risk just looking as if they don't give a fuck if you aren't in England.

As to the trans questions, it was too hard for thrm to put in a section for notes. I suggested that they just needed the equivalent I don't have one that you might have for a religious question. I also said I didn't see the relevance as an overall question, and by the phrasing and positioning of the questions, they were pushing an ideology.

Will see if there are any responses.