January 2023

On January 24, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy released the Federal Evidence Agenda on LGBTQI+ Equity. The report builds on the June 2022 Executive Order on Advancing Equality for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Individuals. The executive order called for the establishment of a subcommittee on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data within the Equitable Data Working Group to “coordinate with agencies on strengthening the Federal Government’s collection of SOGI data to advance equity for LGBTQI+ individuals” and to develop a federal evidence agenda on LGBTQI+ equity.

The evidence agenda highlights three areas: an overview of LGBTQI+ data needs, a learning agenda to advance LGBTQI+ equity, and guidelines for collecting SOGI data on federal administrative forms.

The proposed learning agenda includes several questions on economic security and education intended to build evidence and improve data collection. These questions include:

• How can the Federal Government promote equitable outcomes for LGBTQI+ people in income, economic well-being, and the workplace?
• How can the Federal Government promote equitable educational opportunities and outcomes and experiences for LGBTQI+ people?
• How can the Federal Government promote equitable access to and engagement in federal programs, benefits, and funding opportunities for LGBTQI+ people?

Within the second question, on equitable educational opportunities, potential questions for the learning agenda focus on topics that include educational attainment, prevalence of discrimination, harassment, bullying and physical abuse experienced by LGBTQI+ people and their impact on educational outcomes, incidences of exclusionary school or chronic absence experienced by LGBTQI+ individuals, and training that teachers and school staff may take on creating welcoming and inclusive school environments.

The evidence agenda on LGBTQI+ equity also provides guidelines to federal agencies for collecting SOGI data on forms. General guidelines include:

• Ensure relevant data are collected and privacy protections are properly applied.
• Prevent adverse adjudication.
• Make responses voluntary.
• Rely on self-attestation.
• Be consistent and intentional.

AERA submitted comments in October 2022 to inform the development of the evidence agenda on LGBTQI+ equity. AERA also joined the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics, the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences, and the Consortium of Social Science Associations on comments submitted by Jonathan Freeman, Columbia University, urging the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity indicators on National Science Foundation surveys. The latter set of comments follows on a multi-year effort led by Freeman and joined by AERA.

This area has also been a programmatic interest for AERA, including the publication of the 2015 report LGBTQ Issues in Education: Advancing a Research Agenda.