A proposed bill would oblige state agencies in New York to gather information that more clearly identifies citizens who identify as homosexual, gay, or transgender.
A law was approved by the state Legislature requiring organizations that gather information on genealogy or ethnic origin to additionally inquire about sexual orientation or “gender identity expression”, as reported by the New York Post,
“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). Hoylman-Sigal said that other states, such as California, already inquire about their people’ LGBT status, and that New York, the home of the LGBT movement, should follow suit.
The LGBT community, they claim, will benefit from more accurate questioning and data gathering, notably by tackling the high suicide rate among LGBT teenagers.
“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.
The law, which was approved by the Senate on June 1 and the Assembly on May 9, has not yet been forwarded to Governor Kathy Hochul. It calls for the publication of aggregate statistics on LGBT residents on government websites while safeguarding personally identifying information.
