Story at a glance
- House members on Thursday evening passed the LGBTQI+ Data Equality Act, sending it to the Senate for consideration.
- Under the measure, federal agencies would be tasked with incorporating questions about sexual orientation and gender identity into surveys collecting demographic data.
- Currently, few federal surveys collect data on sexual orientation and gender identity, and none measure intersex populations.
The U.S. House of Representatives Thursday evening passed legislation to standardize data collection of sexual orientation and gender identity, sending the measure to the Senate for consideration.
Under the LGBTQI+ Data Inclusion Act, introduced last June by Arizona Democrat Rep. Raúl Grijalva, more than 100 federal agencies that collect demographic data would be required to “assess needed changes in survey methods related to asking questions on sexual orientation and gender identity.”
Currently, few federal surveys collect data on sexual orientation and gender identity, and none measure intersex populations, according to the bill. Agency heads under the measure would be tasked with changing that by developing methods to include questions on sexual orientation and gender identity in nationally representative surveys while preserving the privacy and confidentiality of respondents.
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Should Grijalva’s measure make its way through the Senate and ultimately become law, federal agencies will have three years to incorporate information on sexual orientation, gender identity and other “variations in sex characteristics” into their published reports.
“Full equality and sound policy can only be achieved when we count all members of our community,” Grijalva said Thursday in a statement. “Lawmakers and agencies are one step closer to finally having comprehensive data to craft better policies to remedy and address the disparities faced by LGBTQI+ individuals—particularly people of color – to ensure their needs are met.”
In a statement released by the Congressional LGBTQI+ Equality Caucus, the group’s chair, Rep. David N. Cicilline (D-RI), said the Houses’ passage of the bill “brings us one step closer to obtaining a comprehensive and accurate picture of LGBTQI+ people and their experiences.”
“Good policy is informed by good data,” he said. “By ensuring the LGBTQI+ community is represented in federal studies and surveys, the LGBTQI+ Data Inclusion Act will help us craft better, more inclusive policies and better address the most pressing issues facing LGBTQI+ Americans.”
Earlier this year, the White House announced that its proposed Fiscal Year 2023 budget would include $10 million in funding for the U.S. Census Bureau to investigate how to best ask Americans about their sexual orientation and gender identity without compromising their safety.
The Biden administration has taken several other steps this year to advance LGBTQ+ equality, among them making gender-neutral passports available to Americans identifying as neither male nor female. President Biden has also pledged to protect LGBTQ+ youth — particularly transgender youth — from a tidal wave of legislation in mostly conservative states that jeopardizes their ability to learn, play sports and receive adequate health care.
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