Sir, – It seems that in the upcoming census the Central Statistics Office (CSO) is not concerned with a matter which is “a sensitive issue for a minority of people” in refusing to make provision for citizens who cannot describe themselves as male or female.
Their solution is that they will randomly allocate either male or female to such citizens.
As an alternative, they invite these citizens to describe themselves as both male and female. This sounds entirely ridiculous.
It would seem that it is far more important to respond to the sensitivities of the algorithms than to real people.
:fill(white):background_color(white)/static.themebuilder.aws.arc.pub/irishtimes/1647534191476.png)
For the record, I am a cisgender person and can easily classify myself, but this is a sensitive issue for me and I stand in solidarity with the human rights of my fellow citizens in their legitimate right properly to classify their gender identity in our national statistics.
– Yours, etc,
Dr PATRICIA BARKER,
Sutton,
Co Dublin.
A chara, – Colm Keena’s article (News, March 14th) said that the CSO is advising people who feel uncomfortable ticking either male or female on the sex question in Census 2022, to tick both male and female.
I am curious to hear the CSO make a statement on this matter with regard to the Statistics Act 1993.
Section 43 of the Act states that a person who provides false information, knowing it to be false, shall be guilty of an offence.
Anyone who ticks both male and female on the sex question because they feel uncomfortable ticking male or female is surely knowingly furnishing false information.
How is this advice lawful?
– Le meas
LOUISE WHELAN,
Greystones,
Co Wicklow.