Authored by CDT Intern Kiran Yeh.
On June 25th, civil society organizations and government officials convened for a webinar titled “State-Level Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Data Practices: Inclusive Data, Responsible Governance.” Hosted by the Center for Democracy & Technology, the Movement Advancement Project (MAP), and the Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy (AISP), the event followed the release of their joint report tracking the shifting landscape of state-level sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data. Panelists explored four key areas: the benefits and risks of data governance, the current landscape of state laws, the legal context for data protections, and promising practices for ethical data management.
Moderated by CDT’s Quinn Anex-Ries, the discussion highlighted the growing tension between a lack of federal LGBTQ+ data visibility and the threat of political weaponization as LGBTQ+ rights are increasingly under attack. “When that information is also collected and held at the state level, it’s under greater threat for attack and weaponization. This report really seeks to intervene in this and makes a call to leaders at the state level to say, now more than ever, responsibly collecting and handling this information is really important.”
MAP’s Carolina Medina emphasized that while SOGI data collection can improve people’s lives, it also carries serious risks of harm. They noted that the report acts as a practical rubric for state and local government stakeholders navigating different stages of this work. “[It exists] to support them in making sound decisions about how SOGI demographics should and should not be collected, used, and shared,” Medina said.
AISP’s Della Jenkins pointed out, “States have a lot of room to think thoughtfully and creatively about how to strengthen their existing practice right now and use these mechanisms — legislative and administrative — to increase protections and safeguards in this moment.”
Finally, Priya Nair, Executive Director of the NYC Commission on Gender Equity, emphasized that ethical data collection requires absolute transparency with the public. “That way, at least individuals can make an informed decision about whether they want to provide the information and what information to provide,” they said. “That’s one thing policymakers can do if they are going to be collecting SOGI data or any demographic data: providing that information to people so that they can make their own decision.”
Ultimately, the panelists underscored a crucial duality: while SOGI data has the immense power to enhance lives, it also carries a potential for damage. To navigate this, they offered practical frameworks to help governments conduct intentional, honest risk-benefit analyses before implementation.