I wanted to flag for you a new report out from the Center for Data Innovationa data-policy think tankoutlining 10 concrete steps Congress can take to optimize the way data is collected, shared and used in the United States, including addressing the LGBT data gap. ( Editor's note: The report is at www2.datainnovation.org/2017-data-innovation-agenda.pdf. )
Government-sponsored data collection often omits demographic information about sexual orientation, which leads to poor understanding about how policies impact the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered community. Congress should establish uniform policies for federal agencies to collect data on sexual orientation and gender identity. The LGBT Data Inclusion Act, introduced in 2016 with bipartisan support, would establish standards for when and how to include the voluntary collection of this demographic information in federal surveys.
In addition, Congress should require all health programs receiving federal funding or other forms of support to collect sexual orientation and gender-identity information, just as they collect other important demographic information. Health surveys, clinical trials, and studies funded or performed by the National Institutes of Health all present opportunities to collect and analyze data to help researchers better understand the health issues facing the LGBT community and address the disparity. In 2013, the Strengthening Health Disparities Data Collection Act, proposed to enact this exact requirement, was introduced in the Senate but never voted on.
Samantha Greene
Center for Data Innovation