The Survey Data Inclusion Act (SB 416), the first bill in the country to include questions of gender identity, same-sex relationship status and sexual orientation in state government surveys, cleared the California Senate Governmental Organization committee 7-5.
The historic bill, authored by Senator Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) and sponsored by Equality California, would require the state to collect voluntary data concerning sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, domestic partnership status and spousal gender as part demographic information surveys conducted by the California government.
Kehoe explained that such data is necessary in order for Californians to “better understand the lives and concerns” of the LGBT community and better need their particular needs.
The bill would affect statewide surveys such as the California Health Information Survey (CHIS), which aims to give a detailed picture of healthcare needs specific to the state’s large and varied population, and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, which tracks risk behaviors and health factors in populations throughout the state.
Both surveys currently collect and take into account demographic data from various ethnic groups throughout California; however, they do not as yet gather information concerning LGBT status, lifestyle or domestic circumstances.
According to Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California, this omission “has significant consequences for the community.”
“With limited resources to spend on health and social services, it is essential that the state has data on LGBT Californians so that money can be targeted where it is most needed and community members can receive the resources they most need,” said Kors.
