State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, introduced a bill Tuesday requiring the state to collect data on how the coronavirus pandemic impacts the LGBTQ community.
Currently, the state collects COVID-19 case, death and hospitalization data by race and ethnicity, age and gender — but not by sexuality. Wiener's bill, Senate Bill 932, would require the state to begin collecting virus data on the LGBTQ community to understand how the virus affects it.
Wiener suggested that LGBTQ people could be suffering more from the virus because the community has higher rates of cancer, HIV and AIDS and respiratory issues due to smoking and homelessness among youth and adults.
"We know that COVID-19 is harming the LGBTQ community, but because no data is being collected, we're hamstrung in making the case to devote attention and resources," Wiener said. "The history of the LGBTQ community is a history of fighting against invisibility. Without data, we quickly become an invisible community and risk being erased."
— Bay City News