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There’s No Data On The LGBTQ Community And COVID-19, But That Could Change

By Alyssa Jeong Perry
Published May 8, 2020 2:29 PM
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Photo by Jasmin Sessler on Unsplash
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California currently collects data based on race, ethnicity, age, gender and other information to understand the health impacts of COVID-19.

A lot of attention, especially in Los Angeles County, has been placed on the race and socio-economic impact of COVID-19 cases and deaths.

But there’s no information or data based on a patient’s sexual orientation.

Bay Area State Senator Scott Wiener wants to change that with SB 932, a bill that would direct the state and counties to collect data from LGBTQ patients.

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“We know that LGBTQ people do have increased health for COVID-19 because we have increased rates of HIV, cancer, of smoking, of homelessness,” Wiener says. “Which are all risk factors."

If the bill is passed, it would be the first of its kind in the nation to require a state government to collect this type of information, according to Wiener.

SB 932 must first pass through the state’s health committee before a vote in the senate.

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