For a long time, human rights campaigners have lobbied the ABS to include sex and/or gender diverse classifications in the national census that are other than strictly males or female. This is now coming to pass.

Many intersex people cannot truly say whether they are male or female and for them it would be fraudulent to put strictly male or female on the census form. Of course, there are people with intersex features or diverse sex characteristics who identify as strictly male or female but many might not. There are also people who do not have an intersex diagnosis who have primary or secondly sex diverse characteristics who do not want to be identified as male or female.

There are people who may present as being gender diverse, under many different labels, who may not want to be treated as strictly male or female. Not everyone identifies with stereotypically representations of masculinity or femininity.

The Australian census form in future will offer options in the sex category of male, female or X and in the gender section as male, female or X. It is important the they have differentiated between sex and gender because some people who might tick one section as male or female but might not tick another section as the same since not everyone’s gender matches their sex or vice versa.

Since the senses is supposed to be a represent a true estimation of the Australian people population these new options new give a better picture of sex and gender diverse occurrence. Governments often making funding and legal decisions on the data provided in the census so by now recognising the extent of sex and gender diversity it will help government better plan to faciality the whole of the Australian population.