People in Scotland will be able to self-identify their sex in next year’s census, official guidance has said.

This means Scots will not be required to give the same sex as that recorded on their birth certificate and a voluntary question on trans status will follow allowing people to identify as non-binary.

National Records of Scotland, who are responsible for the census, said people do not need a gender recognition certificate to identify as a different sex from the one registered at birth.

The census was delayed a year in Scotland due to the pandemic, while England, Wales and Northern Ireland held their counts earlier this year.

In this year’s census in England and Wales, people were asked the voluntary question of: “Is the gender you identify with the same as your sex registered at birth?”

The Office of National Statistics said: “Your answer helps your local community by allowing charities, public bodies, and local and central government to understand what services people might need.

“This information helps monitor equality between groups of people of different gender identities.

“Your answer will help public bodies to identify discrimination or social exclusion based on gender identity and work to stop it from happening.”

https://www.independent.ie/news/participants-able-to-self-identify-their-sex-in-scottish-census-40807422.html