Explore Search
Exit

Leave this site Safely

You can quickly leave this website by clicking the “X” in the top right or by pressing the Escape key twice.

To browse this site safely, be sure to regularly clear your browser history.

Aired Apr 7, 2022

The Significance of Being Counted

Without reliable demographics data, decision makers are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to developing policies and programs that are responsive to the needs of their constituents. Up until 2021, the US Census Bureau did not collect any data on sexual orientation and gender identity.  This episode of Something To Talk About Live, we will be discussing Julianne McShane’s article in The Washington Post, “A record number of U.S. adults identify as LGBTQ. Gen Z is driving the increase.” with Scout, executive director at the LGBT Cancer Network and Naomi, deputy director at the Movement Advancement Project. 

Something to Talk About Live is a series designed by PFLAG National’s Straight for Equality program to create conversation about LGBTQ+ issues. Each week we offer an article on LGBTQ+ topics and suggest a few questions you can use to lead a discussion with your ERG, community group, or PFLAG chapter. 

We hosted a conversation about this article as a part of PFLAG Connects and Something to Talk About Live on Thursday, April 7. Did you miss it? You can still watch it here!  

Article: A record number of U.S. adults identify as LGBTQ. Gen Z is driving the increase. 

Source: The Washington Post 

Author: Julianne McShane 

Questions for Discussion: 

  1. Did you see any articles about this Gallup data when it was released back in February? If so, where did you see it? Was the coverage positive or negative? If not, why do you think that is the case?

  2. This article suggests a number of reasons for the statistically significant jump in Americans identifying at LGBTQ+ over the last decade, including cultural acceptance and policy/law changes. Do you agree with this assessment? Is there anything that you would add?

  3. The article also notes that more than 6% of participants in the Gallup poll chose not to respond to questions about their sexual orientation and gender identity. In your opinion, why is this the case? What can allies, parents, and families do to ensure their LGBTQ+ loved ones and their experiences are effectively counted?   

Bonus read: Check out a phenomenal example of why LGBTQ+ data collection is so important from the LGBT Cancer Network and resources about data equity from the Movement Advancement Project. 

About Our Guests:

Scout, Executive Director, The LGBT Cancer Network

Naomi Goldberg, Deputy Director, The Movement Advancement Project

Ways to Watch:

Also available on Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn