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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | January 14, 2021 01:22 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Sharif Street |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Data For LGBTQ+ Lives |
| In the near future, I will introduce legislation that will help collect critical data about members of the LGBTQ+ community in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania so they can be better served by policy makers inside and outside of government. Research suggests that LGBTQ+ individuals face health and other disparities linked to societal stigma, discrimination, substance abuse, and mental health disorders. However, we can never fully address these issues without understanding the full scope of the problem. This is difficult to solve because of a lack of routine data collection about sexual orientation and gender identity. This bill, which is a companion to legislation introduced in the house by Represenatatives Malcolm Kenyatta and Jessica Benham, would require all state forms which collect demographic information to contain a voluntary LGBTQ+ identifier question for respondents to answer. This small, yet substantial change would not only begin to amass a more accurate accounting of the LGBTQ+ population in Pennsylvania, but it would also allow the Pennsylvania General Assembly to begin proposing initiatives that could make a positive impact in the LGBTQ+ community and potentially save lives. I hope you will join me in co-sponsoring this important legislation. Please contact Micah Mahjoubian at micah@pasenate.com if you have any questions. |
Introduced as SB436