The California State Legislature has approved a bill that would kickstart a pilot program to better track the gender identity and sexual orientation of victims of fatal violence.
Under AB 1094, or the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Data Collection Pilot Project, the California Department of Public Health is launching a three-year pilot program that would teach coroners and medical examiners how to identify and compile information about a victim’s sexual orientation and gender identity in cases of violent death, including suicides and homicides. The bill is heading to California Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk.
“There is a lack of understanding about the relationship between risk of violent death, such as suicide or homicide, and an individual’s sexual orientation and gender identity,” reads the bill’s text. “This is because, unlike veteran status or ethnicity, the sexual orientation and gender identity of deceased individuals are only captured in special circumstances. By training coroners and medical examiners how to gather mortality data with regard to sexual orientation and gender identity, researchers and policymakers can begin to learn who the most vulnerable in the LGBTQ community are and allocate resources that will reduce the number of preventable deaths.”
Democrat Assemblymember Dr. Joaquin Arambula introduced the bill in February, and it was carried in the State Senate by Democrat Susan Eggman. Arambula believes this data could combat anti-LGBTQ violence.
“I believe AB 1094 is an important and humane step in ultimately preventing these deaths,” Arambula said in a written statement in February. “Data may sound like a scientific subject, but, at its core, it leads us to better help and serve all our communities with compassion and empathy.”
