Policy Factsheet
More Inclusive Data Collection: Improving Research and Policy
Action
Co-sponsor the LGBTQI+ Data Inclusion Act. This bill requires federal population surveys to include voluntary questions on gender identity and sexual orientation.
Without data on LGBTQI+ representation in STEM, we cannot create strategic interventions to fix discrimination and exclusion in our community.
- LGBTQI+ people continue to face inequitable treatment. These experiences can dampen educational attainment and workforce participation.
- In STEM fields, preliminary evidence shows that LGBTQI+ professionals face persistent disadvantages compared to their non-LGBTQI+ counterparts.
Much of our current understanding comes from one-off efforts rather than systematically tracking outcomes.
…my peers have consistently left me out of social events and frequently talked about me behind my back with disrespectful language relating to my gender identity/expression.
In the last lab I worked with, I was afraid to even mention that I might be gay.
* Quotes from 2016 APS LGBT Climate in Physics Report
To inform policy decisions, federal agencies regularly conduct national population studies. However, these surveys rarely include LGBTQI+ demographic questions.
The current lack of regularly updated, comprehensive LGBTQI+ data impedes the physics community’s ability to continue to assess and address this issue like we have for race and gender.
Demographic data on gender and race inspired successful APS initiatives like the Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics and the APS Physics Bridge Program.
Initial Survey Indicates Negative LGBTQI+ Experience in Physics
The 2016 APS report LGBT Climate in Physics: Building an Inclusive Community found that:
Demographic Data is a First Step Toward a More Inclusive STEM Workforce
U.S. competitiveness depends on welcoming the full participation of all groups in STEM. By requiring all federal agencies to include voluntary LGBTQI+ survey questions, we can better work toward this goal.