The Canberra LGBTIQ Community Consortium (hereafter referred to as the Consortium) is pleased to provide the ACT service sector with this resource. The Consortium is a partnership of four agencies, brought together by the common goal of ensuring health, wellbeing, access, social inclusion, and equity for Canberra’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) communities.
Consultations with LGBTIQ communities undertaken by the Consortium revealed that data collection practices that are not inclusive are a significant barrier to services for LGBTIQ clients. Data collection tools, such as intake forms, are often the first means of communication between a client and the service provider, and as such, they can set the tone of the relationship. While inclusive services are not guaranteed by inclusive data collection, this resource is designed to support service providers in taking important steps towards advancing the LGBTIQ-inclusiveness of their services by ensuring their data collection practices are inclusive and respectful. Access to inclusive services is fundamental to achieving equity in health and wellbeing outcomes in our community. The language used when collecting information about sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation has significant implications for the accessibility and inclusiveness of services for LGBTIQ communities. It is important that service providers are equipped to determine when it is appropriate to collect information about sex, gender, and sexual orientation, and how to do so in a respectful and sensitive manner.