Baldwin calls for LGBTQ info to be included in mental health data

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) on Wednesday called for LGBTQ information to be included in federally funded surveys, with a particular focus on mental health issues.

“I think it’s so important that people are counted,” Baldwin, the first openly LBGTQ person to serve in the U.S. Senate, said at Politico’s Health Summit. 

Baldwin noted that surveys often don’t ask questions about sexual orientation or gender identity. 

“It’s hard to claim with great reliability how much greater risk gay and lesbian, bisexual, transgender children and adults are at risk for suicide,” she added. “It is really important that we get that data because it helps us make our arguments for greater resources and greater services.” 

The Wisconsin Democrat said she plans to reintroduce legislation this week to require federally funded surveys to ask about sexual orientation and gender identity, after the Senate failed to advance the LGBTQI+ Data Inclusion Act in the last session. The House passed the bill 220-201 in June of last year.

When asked about potential privacy concerns, the senator noted that most surveys are required to anonymize data. 

Baldwin was a key figure in the effort in the Senate last year to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which had defined marriage as between a man and a woman under federal law.