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GayData.org
The website was created for individuals and organizations:

1) Who want to find information about lesbians, gays and bisexuals grounded in  scientific knowledge,

2) Who want to find datasets to analyze that include sexual orientation data, and

3) Who want to learn how to collect sexual orientation data.

For further information about this website please contact:

Randall L. Sell, Sc.D.
Drexel University
School of Public Health
1505 Race Street, MS660
11th Floor, Bellet Bldg.
Philadelphia, PA  19102

Phone: 215-762-8785
Email: randy@drexel.edu

 

Very little is known about the lives of lesbians, gays, and bisexuals (LGBs) because the main sources of data about people living in the United States (or in the world for that matter) do not collect sexual orientation data.  Do LGBs earn as much as their straight counterparts? Are LGBs more likely to live in urban areas?  What are the economic, social and health benefits of marriage or domestic partner benefits for LGBs? Are LGBs as likely to have access to the health care system as their straight counterparts? And to what degree do LGBs experience violence, stigma, and discrimination as a result of their sexual orientation?  These are just a few of the thousands of questions that need to be answered.  These questions are not asked here out of simple intellectual curiosity, but because the answers can influence the development of programs and policies that affect the lives of LGBs in the United States and elsewhere.

This website encourages the collection of sexual orientation data and the analysis of data sources that have already collected such data.  In order to facilitate this process, this website covers the following topics:  

  • Data Sources - What information systems and databases have collected sexual orientation data?
  • Knowledge - What have we learned about LGBs from these data sources?
  • Measures - How is the concept of "sexual orientation" usually defined and measured for research purposes?
  • Sampling - How can samples of LGBs be drawn?
  • Recommend - Sexual orientation data has now been collected frequently enough that we know it can be done successfully. What recommendations can be made based upon this experience?

This website is an evolving document.  You are therefore encouraged to contact us with corrections, updates, or new information that you think should be added. Any information you provide will help others explore the many questions about LGBs that remain unanswered.