AUSTRALIA ADDS OPTIONAL GENDER IDENTITY AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION QUESTIONS TO CENSUS
REPORT A PROBLEM WITH THIS SOURCE
SOURCE AGREEMENT & OPEN QUESTIONS
One linked publisher is currently carrying this report in the live cache.
WHAT REMAINS UNCLEAR
RSS excerpts are short and may omit qualifications, timing or attribution. Read the original reports before treating a detail as settled.
WHERE REPORTING MAY DIFFER
Independent comparison coverage has not yet been identified in the current live cache.
SOURCE COMPARISON
| Source | Latest linked headline | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Associated Press | AUSTRALIA ADDS OPTIONAL GENDER IDENTITY AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION QUESTIONS TO CENSUS | 1 hr ago |
WHAT HAPPENED
On Tuesday, August 11, Australia’s 66‑question census became the first to allow respondents to voluntarily report their sexual orientation and gender identity, after a Labor‑led government re‑introduced the questions two years after previously removing them as “divisive.” The new items, optional for people 16 years and older, mark the first time Australians can disclose this information in a national census.
According to the Associated Press, the census now offers six answer options for sexual orientation—straight, gay or lesbian, bisexual, don’t know, prefer not to answer, and a free‑text choice—while gender identity questions allow respondents to identify as man, woman, nonbinary, prefer not to answer or another term. The questions are part of a broader set of optional queries, alongside a long‑standing religion question introduced in 1911.
The re‑introduction comes after the Labor government, which came to power in 2011, had initially dropped the questions two years prior, citing controversy over their divisiveness. Their return signals a shift in policy toward greater inclusivity in demographic data collection.
- Optional sexual orientation and gender identity questions added to the 66‑question census.
- Answer options include standard categories plus free‑text fields for both questions.
- Labor government reinstated the questions after a two‑year pause, following earlier concerns about divisiveness.
RELATED DAMMNEWS COVERAGE
- LESBIANS, LATEX AND $2,000 CONDOMS: WHY ARE THIS SUMMER’S MOVIES SO OBSESSED WITH SEX?
Culture | The Guardian • 15 hrs ago • CULTURE - FORMER AIR FORCE SECRETARY SAYS HE’LL SUE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO RESTORE HIS SECURITY CLEARANCE
Associated Press • 32 mins ago • TOP - COSTCO’S GREAT SWITCH 2 CONSOLE BUNDLE INCLUDES OVER $100 IN FREE STUFF
The Verge • 7 hrs ago • TECH