The Bilerico Project | Daily experiments in LGBTQ

I got this in my inbox, and this is important. We need for these large, government studies to ask about LGBT people so we know the needs of our communities and our population when it comes to health care. Sexual orientation and gender identity both affect one's health care needs and access, and we have a right to know in what ways and how much it does, and the government should know in order to formulate better policy. These studies have consequences

Call your senator. (Practical info after the jump.)

Ask Your Senator to Sign On in Support of an LGBT Question on the National Health Interview Survey

A few weeks ago, we asked for your support in calling your Representatives. Thanks to your efforts, 46 Representatives supported the addition of an LGBT question to the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Now Senator Whitehouse (D-RI) is leading the charge in the Senate to rally support for appropriating the $2 million necessary to add this question. The Senator has begun circulating a sign-on "Dear Colleague" letter in the Senate to show support for adding $2 million in increased funding to the budget for the National Center for Health Statistics, which will pay all costs associated with adding a question about sexual orientation and gender identity to NHIS. This survey helps set the federal government's priorities in funding health programs, so gathering data on LGBT demographics is vital for demonstrating the importance of LGBT health concerns and pushing for increased funding for services for the LGBT community.

Contact your Senator today to ask them to sign onto the Whitehouse Letter in the Senate.

To contact your Senator, please call the Senate switchboard at (202) 224-3121, tell them your state, and ask to speak to your Senator. When you are connected to your Senator's office, ask for the staff member who works on Health and Human Services appropriations. Tell them that you are a constituent who supports appropriating an additional $2 million for the National Health Interview Survey and that you would like them to sign on. In order to sign on, they need to contact Jordanna Davis in Senator Whitehouse's office by close of business on Tuesday, April 28th.