General Chat

There may also be another, slightly connected, reason for asking those questions.

If the only responses come in from, say, white heterosexuals - it may mean that the Local Authority in question are not reaching any other "group" with their leaflet.

So, perhaps this particular leaflet appealed only to white heterosexuals and maybe the particular lesson learned for the Local Authority could be to re-design the next leaflet to reach a wider audience ...

Jill

" I tend to think that people objecting to or mocking questions like these just aren't too happy about there being gay men, lesbians and transgendered people (or whatever the target group was yesterday or will be tomorrow) in the first place. We're straight, white and normal in every way; why can't everybody else be, or at least shut up about it, hm?"

That may be your opinion - though it's a bit presumptious, and rather hypocritical.
You presume it's only white straight 'normal' people who object and imply they're 'anti' other 'groups' (how I hate that term)
For all you know, I may be gay, celibate, a raving nymphomaniac, purple and male with 3 arms!

Well, as a heterosexual atheist, I can only hope that day will come to pass. Maybe somebody will decide that my group (probably about 1/4 of the Cdn population) should get consulted about stuff for a change.

I'm not quite sure how your reply demonstrated authorities making up stuff to annoy and oppress people, maggiewinchester. Having target groups -- targetting groups for inclusion that have been historically *excluded* -- might annoy some people, but that's their hard bananas, and it hardly oppresses anyone.

If somebody declines to complete a questionnaire like this because it gives someone else an opportunity to be counted as a member of a group with particular needs, concerns or interests, well, that's their loss, and maybe their community's.

Being inclined to call a spade a spade, I tend to think that people objecting to or mocking questions like these just aren't too happy about there being gay men, lesbians and transgendered people (or whatever the target group was yesterday or will be tomorrow) in the first place. We're straight, white and normal in every way; why can't everybody else be, or at least shut up about it, hm?

"Do people think that authorities sit around and make up this stuff just to annoy and oppress you? I can just never understand this ..."

..as someone who works for a local authority, I can categorically state - YES!!!
They (the management) feel they have to reach 'targets' - so they 'target' the 'in ' group of the time - hence my reference to religion earlier.
This was the previous 'target'!! LOL
One day they will have a meeting where heterosexuals of no religion are 'tartgeted'.

AND I'd like to say, unless they receive 'X' number of these forms - nothing will be done, as it will be deemed 'Of no interest'.

Listen, it really is an entirely appropriate interest on the part of a council. They need to know -- they should want to know -- who their public is. Who needs housing? Is there high demand in the GLBT community for affordable safe housing, for instance, because of discrimination in the private market or safety concerns, or whatever? Is your interest in a new bike path because you're a woman who feels unsafe on existing routes?

If a council wants to encourage a switch from cars to bikes, which it undoubtedly does, it needs to know the needs of all groups in its constituency, not just some hypothetical "average" straight white male, for instance. (The fact that this was the approach taken to most things, historically, is why we only recently have decent research into heart disease in women, for example. The fact that HIV/AIDS first struck a community that no one gave a * about, gay men, resulted in the disease becoming more widespread in the general population than it might have. And so on. It is *proper* to take into account special needs and characteristics of different groups, and if a council doesn't know who they are it can't do that.)

Do people think that authorities sit around and make up this stuff just to annoy and oppress you? I can just never understand this ...

Well, I wouldn't answer them. Seems kind of simple. It's a voluntary *questionnaire*, not the Domesday book!

But if you have an interest in the new cycle path and therefore have to fill out the form to register your interest, all the while finding the questions a bit too intrusive - what do you do?

If something comes in the form of a leaflet, then there's no intrusion at all. No one is demanding that you even fill out the questionnaire, let alone answer the questions you don't want to answer.

If someone does think that it is important that the local authority consider the special needs or wishes of their group -- women and GLBT people in particular may feel particular concerns about their safety on bike paths, just for instance, and think that night lighting is important so they are safer from attack -- then it's important to *them* to bring that information to the council's attention.

Anybody who doesn't want to fill out the questionnaire is really quite free to put it in the recycle bin, no?


Now ... when I was filling out the forms for my call to be the bar and had already had my fill of misogyny in the profession, and it wasn't like anything was being done to benefit women ... I did answer the question "sex" by saying "sure, but shouldn't we get to know each other first?"

Must admit Maggie I usually answer in same way, to much intrusion into our lives,
Carol

Strikes me it's the new 'must have' information that some previous forms had with reference to religion!!
I reply 'other' to either type of form!
If an explanation ie further intrusion into privacy is required, I reply either 'celibate but potentially active' or 'how much are you offering me to join your cult'.
Or even 'celibate but what are you offering' or ' How many male virgins do you offer'?
They can make of it what they will!

Husband has just picked up a leaflet in Tesco re central planning brief for a local area, there is a questionnaire one question is gender, male, female, transgender. second question heterosexual, lesbian, gay man, bisexual, other, besides wondering what relivance this has to riding a bike on new cycle path, living in new housing, working in light industry, more open spaces, a new community square, what gender is OTHER thought the above covered it all, plus sure all the above would enjoy same facilities. Carol