NY eyes data collection on LGBT residents under proposed law
A proposed law would require New York state agencies to collect data that more precisely identifies residents who identify as lesbian, gay and transgender, The Post has learned.
The state Legislature passed a bill ordering agencies that collect data regarding ancestry or ethnic origin to also ask about sexual orientation or “gender identity expression.”
“Data collection on the LGBT community is so important because we’ve been invisible in the eyes of government,” said Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D-Manhattan), a sponsor of the bill along with Assemblyman Harry Bronson (D-Rochester).
“The LGBT community has to be counted,” Hoylman-Sigal said.
He said other states, including California, already check on the LGBT status of their residents, and New York — birthplace of the LGBT movement — should step up.
“While gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and those of non-conforming gender identity or expression in this state share geographical and cultural commonalities, they also experience diverse social, educational, health, and economic differences that are unique to their life experiences,” Bronson and Hoylman-Sigal also stated in a memo of support for their bill.
“Given the diversity of the population, separating data for these areas of the population and making the data publicly accessible are critical for enhancing our state’s understanding of the needs and experiences of these communities,” they said.
Sources said more precise questioning and data collection will better serve the LGBT community, including by addressing the high suicide rate among LGBT youths.
The bill — Assembly No. 358/Senate No. 3225 — which passed the Assembly on May 9 and the Senate on June 1, has yet to be sent to Gov. Kathy Hochul for action.
She vetoed a similar LGBTQ data collection bill last year, citing costs.
But after her veto, Hochul directed state agencies “to continue efforts to incorporate the goals” of collecting information about sexual orientation and gender identity expression, according to a briefing on the issue spelled out in a report published by the state Health Department last week.
The Health Department’s Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities Prevention indicated “discussions are underway to inventory questions” and “identify possible standardized language” on LGBT data collection.
“Every state agency, board, or commission that directly or by contract collects demographic data as to the ancestry or ethnic origin of residents of the state of New York shall use separate collection categories and tabulations for sexual orientation and gender identity or expression,” the bill states:
According to the bill, the term “gender identity or expression” means having or being perceived as having a gender identity, self-image, appearance, behavior or expression — whether or not that gender identity is different from the sex assigned biologically at birth.
The measure requires that numeral data collected on LGBT residents be posted on agency websites, while protecting personal identifying information.
New York has among the strongest LGBT rights laws in the country and finances programs to treat transgender patients, including those who want controversial gender assignment surgery.
