Asking LGBTQQI Making sense of alphabet soup Joe

Asking LGBTQQI: Making sense of alphabet soup Joe E. Heimlich, Ph. D. OSUExtension@COSI

Why ask gender identity? • Better understand who is and is not being served • Individuals need to “see” selves • Social engagement • An important demographic

Concerns re: asking • • Offend other respondents Offend staff/stakeholders “Send the wrong message” Not always necessary

1: The overwhelm Are you: ____heterosexual male ____heterosexual female ____gay male ____lesbian ____bisexual male ____bisexual female ____pre-op male to female ____pre-op female to male ____post-op male to female ____post-op female to male ____intersex

Rationale & use • • • Complete - fairly Organized by percentage response Necessary across large populations Too much information? Lots of skips

2. The “hide it in plain sight” Age Self Adult 2 Adult 3 Child 1 Child 2 Sex Relationship to self SELF

Rationale & use Lots of demographics Fairly easy to complete Fails to describe singles Makes assumptions of relationship Annoying for most heterosexual families (child is my child!) Inconclusive • • •

3: The obtuse Describe the composition and nature of your household:

Rationale & use • • Surprisingly rich data Inconsistent types of information Worked well in a national park Didn’t work in a history museum

4: The 2 phaser Are you: _____female _____male Are you LGBTQ? Yes No

Rationale & use • Kathleen Tinworth – Denver Museum of Nature and Science • • • Least amount of concern expressed Those who don’t know ignore it Look for Yes, not # of No’s Straightforward “why do you need to know this” No complaints, low response

5: The reductionist • Are you (check all that apply): – Male – Female – Gay/lesbian – Married/partnered

Rationale & use • A la Judy Koke – Art Gallery of Ontario • Again, straightforward • Works well in art museum • Rich demographics

And this means…? • • Not surprisingly, few ID’d as LGBTQ No negative feedback Some positive comments Intention to implement ongoing

THANK YOU! Joe E. Heimlich, Ph. D. heimlich. 1@osu. edu