NEW census statistics have for the first time revealed the number of transgender people living in East Lothian.

Results from Scotland’s Census 2022 have been being released periodically in recent weeks, and last week’s data concerned sexual orientation and trans status or history.

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The census included a question on trans status or history for the first time in 2022 – this was a voluntary question for people aged 16 and over.

In East Lothian, out of 92,101 people aged 16 or over living in the county, 284 said they were trans or had a trans history, equating to 0.3 per cent of the 16-plus population – a little below the national average of 0.44 per cent, with 19,990 people across Scotland being trans or having a trans history.

Nearly half of the trans people in East Lothian (128, 45.1 per cent) were aged 16-24 – consistent with the national picture, which found 46.1 per cent of all those 16 and over who were trans or had a trans history were in that age bracket.

As for sexual orientation, a total of 1,380 East Lothian residents aged 16 and over said they were gay or lesbian (1.5 per cent), while 1,270 said they were bisexual (1.4 per cent). The total number of LGB+ people aged 16 and over in East Lothian was 3,008, 3.3 per cent – below the national average of 4.0 per cent (183,860 LGB+ people across Scotland).

Jon Wroth-Smith, director of census statistics, said: “This is the first time Scotland’s Census has ever collected data on trans status or history and sexual orientation.

“We can now say that almost 20,000 people aged 16 and over in Scotland identified as being trans or having a trans history, and almost 184,000 people aged 16 and over identified as LGB+.

“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.”