‘Non-binary’ Scots outnumber trans men and women combined

The trans rights movement has been vocal in Scotland. Now a census reveals thousands identify as 'non-binary' - Jane Barlow/PA

Trans rights activists are to step up demands for state recognition of “non-binary” people after census data revealed thousands of Scots consider themselves neither male nor female.

Figures released on Thursday show that 19,990 people in Scotland identify as transgender or have a “trans history”, the first time ever that the census has shed light on the size of the population.

Well over half of those who provided further details, 9,033 people, said they identified as “non-binary”, meaning they believe themselves to be “in-between or beyond” male or female or have “no gender”.

This compared with 3,307 who say they were a trans men, meaning they are biologically female but identify as male, while 3,088 said they are a trans female, a biological man identifying as a woman.

Vic Valentine, of the influential Scottish Trans campaign organisation, suggested public services such as the NHS may now have to be overhauled to ensure “fair and equal” treatment for members of the non-binary group.

While there are processes in place for trans people to change their legal sex or identification documents to male or female, there have been demands for the state to formally recognise those who say they fit into neither camp.

“I’m not surprised to see that so many of the trans people answering the question are non-binary,” Valentine said.

“That reflects our experience of talking to and working with trans people across the country.

“What it does show is that it’s important that people providing services we all need – like those working in the NHS or in homelessness or housing services – understand enough about who non-binary people are and what we might need to make sure we’re treated fairly and equally.”

New figures show that 19,990 people in Scotland identify as transgender - Jane Barlow/P

The data showed that across Scotland, 0.44 per cent of the people said they are trans.

However, identifying as trans was far more common among the youngest respondents and in cities.

In Dundee, more than 3 per cent of 16- to 24-year-olds said they were trans, while the figure was around 2 per cent in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh.

This compared to less than 1 per cent of adults aged under 25 in council areas including East Renfrewshire and South Lanarkshire.

Trans groups have recently been calling for non-binary to become an official sex marker in areas such as the NHS and schools and for legal recognition of their status as neither male nor female.

Feminist campaign group Women Scotland warned that agreeing to the changes would amount to a state-sponsored denial of biological reality.

“Tens of billions of human beings have existed throughout history,” Trina Budge, a director at For Women Scotland, said.

“Every single one of them, without a single exception, has been either a male or a female.

‘To introduce a third sex would deny reality’

To overhaul public services on the back of this census finding would therefore make about as much sense as rewriting our laws to accommodate those who have claimed to be Jedi Knights in previous surveys.

“Everyone is already protected under the Equality Act, regardless of what gender they say they identify as.

“To downgrade biology in areas such as the law and the NHS and introduce some kind of third sex would be a denial of reality and risk a whole series of damaging repercussions for the rights and safety of women and girls.”

The delayed Scottish census included a question on trans status or history for the first time in 2022.

National Records of Scotland also published data on sexual orientation on Thursday.

It found that there were 183,860 lesbian, gay or bisexual people in Scotland, 4 per cent of people aged 16 and over.

The censuses in the rest of the UK asked the same question in 2021. In England and Wales 3.2 per cent of people aged 16 and over said they were not hererosexual, while in Northern Ireland, the figure was 2.1 per cent.

Jon Wroth-Smith, director of census statistics, said: “These numbers will help charities, local authorities, businesses and government plan services to improve the lives of those living and working in Scotland as well as providing important information for effective equality monitoring.”

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