About this program:
With support from Tiger Global, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has partnered with researchers at University of Vermont's Queer and Trans People in Education (QTPiE) to increase the access and success of LGBTQ persons in STEMM through the cultivation of a data infrastructure that allows for the ethical and law-attentive collection and use of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data in post-secondary education.
Program goals:
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Mixed-methods research to better understand the current challenges and opportunities that higher education leaders face related to the collection and use of SOGI data
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A federal and state policy analysis to identify legal opportunities and challenges to collecting and using SOGI data
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The development of best practice guides for effective and ethical SOGI data collection and use
This work seeks to understand and address the systemic barriers to the collection and use of SOGI data with the intent of increasing postsecondary institutions’ knowledge and capacity to normalize such activities.
Why this work:
As has long been the case with measuring gender and race information in student and employee data collections at U.S. academic institutions, SOGI data could aid in developing accountability systems to protect against LGBTQ bias and discrimination and identifying barriers LGBTQ people face at STEMM institutions. Moreover, once informed by such data, colleges and universities could create programs to foster more supportive and inclusive STEMM pathways for LGBTQ students and scholars.