2021 Census: First LGBT numbers for people in St Helens released

Conducted every ten years, for the first time LGBT data has been included in the census, which provides estimates of the characteristics of all individuals and households in England and Wales.

The new data will help provide better quality information for LGBT communities in hopes they can monitor and support improved legislation, equality and anti-discrimination legislation.

READ > The Swan: What is a Forced Order?

gender identity

For the first time, people were asked if their gender matched their registered gender at birth, or if they identify as transgender or non-binary.

In St Helens, 143,771 (95.48%) reported having a gender identity that matched their gender registered at birth.

256 individuals (0.17%) reported having a gender identity different from their birth-registered gender, but no specific identity was provided.

92 (0.06%) self-identified as trans women, while 122 (0.08%) self-identified as trans men.

40 people (0.03%) reported being non-binary, i.e. not conforming to traditional gender structures, and 33 (0.02%) reported having a different gender identity.

A total of 6,256 (4.15%) people did not answer the question.

Across England, 45.7 million (94.0%) of the population aged 16 and over answered the question.

Overall, 45.4 million (93.5%) said their gender identity matched that assigned at birth, while 262,000 (0.5%) identified as transgender.

sexual orientation

The question of sexual orientation was also new for the 2021 census.

In St. Helens, 138,290 (91.41%) answered the question whether they were straight or heterosexual.

2,407 (1.42%) people said they identified as gay or lesbian.

1,335 (0.87%) reported being bisexual and feeling attracted to both sexes.

348 (0.15%) reported being pansexual, which is classified as being sexually attracted to someone regardless of sex or gender, while 98 (0.04%) identified as asexual, meaning they are not sexually attracted to anyone feel attracted.

14,151 (6.09%) people did not answer the question.

Across the country, 43.4 million people (89.4% of the population aged 16 and over) identified as heterosexual or heterosexual.

748,000 (1.5%) self-identified as gay or lesbian, while 624,000 (1.3%) self-identified as bisexual.

165,000 (0.3%) chose “other sexual orientation”.