Lgbtqi+ Data Inclusion Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Obviously, in order to serve the American people and to serve their needs, we take in a lot of information--in this case, voluntary information, to determine what we can do to assist and make better the lives of people and the challenges they face.

This Pride Month we celebrate all the progress we have made over the years to help LGBTQ Americans express themselves more openly, to help their community become more visible, and to be free from the danger of violence perpetrated against them because of who they are.

We must acknowledge, however, that the Federal Government does not do enough to ensure that that community is seen and considered when making key policy decisions.

Although there is evidence that LGBTQ Americans, especially transgender people, still face substantial prejudice in areas such as housing, employment, and education, we need more data to determine the scope of these challenges and to devise a policy solution that works for all.

To promote visibility, foster inclusion, and build equity and equality for LGBTQ Americans, this legislation would ask the Federal agencies to collect voluntary information on orientation and gender identity whenever they ask for other demographic data.

I want to emphasize, as I know has been emphasized, that although this data will be processed anonymously, submission of this information will always be and continue to be completely voluntary.

Americans should never be forced to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity to the government, period. To that extent I think we all agree.

I thank Representative Grijalva for introducing this legislation, as well as Chairwoman Maloney and her colleagues on the Oversight and Reform Committee for their efforts to advance this bill.

Although we still have much to do to address the disparities and marginalization of the LGBTQ people and what they face in America, this bill will help equip policymakers with the tools and information needed to make further progress.

Our vote today is a continuation, frankly, of the efforts of Johnson, Milk, and other leaders who showed courage in the LGBTQ community to come forward and to say that we are people and we need to be treated as equal under the law. And this will, I think, help us meet that responsibility.

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