152 14 JANUARY 2022 • VOL 375 ISSUE 6577 science.org SCIENCEPHOTO: JEFF J MITCHELL/GETTY IMAGEST
he provocative word “queer” in the title
of this book sets the stage for what is
to come: controversy, nuances, and all
the “messiness” that comes with at-
tempts to measure subpopulations of
people who identify as sexual or gen-
der minorities. Organized into three parts—
data collection, data analyses, and the use
of queer data—the book does an admirable
job explaining the finer points behind the
complicated constructs of sexual orientation
and gender identity (SOGI) and drawing at-
tention to nuances that make it difficult to
precisely measure micro-minorities.Throughout the book, Guyan highlights
how decisions made during different stages
of the data life cycle are seldom value-neutral
and can introduce biases to the final out-
comes. This parallels the total survey error
approach to understanding the life cycles of
surveys ( 1 ). A nod to this literature could have
provided a more holistic view and one more
grounded in survey methods theory.
In chapter 3, perhaps the book’s strongest,
Guyan offers an insider’s view of Scotland’s
2022 census as the government prepares tomeasure sexual orientation, gender identity,
and transgender history for the first time.
Here, he delves into the complex web of deci-
sions that determined the nature of the cen-
sus questions used to measure lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ)
populations, revealing, for example, how
seemingly mundane phrasing, response op-
tions, and even instructions can greatly affect
who gets counted and how they are classified.
Guyan argues that the census ultimately
risks undercounting the country’s LGBTQ
populations, as many people are “unable to
participate or forced to identify in a way that
does not accurately reflect who they are.” And
even seemingly minor mistakes committedby sexual and gender majorities can lead to
disproportionately large measurement er-
rors. For example, adding response options
beyond gay, lesbian, and bisexual (e.g., pan-
sexual or queer) may cause confusion among
cisgender and straight individuals, poten-
tially resulting in significant overestimations
of minority populations.
People who identify as LGBTQ may also be
fearful of how the information will be used
or shared. I was disappointed that the book
failed to offer any discussion regarding out-
reach strategies that may or may not have
been used to mitigate distrust and increase
engagement and participation in Scotland’s
census. In advance of the 2020 US census,the US Census Bureau sponsored a nation-
wide advertising campaign and hired LGBTQ
partnership specialists to serve as “trusted
voices” to educate and increase participation
among sexual and gender minorities.
In chapter 4, “Beyond Borders: Queer Data
Around the World,” Guyan offers an overview
of how language and cultural differences in-
fluence the measurement of LGBTQ popula-
tions globally. Some countries, he notes, are
moving away from mandatory collection of
sex data on legal documents and allowing
instead for a nonbinary gender designation.
Meanwhile, New Zealand’s new “gender by
default” principle defaults to the collection of
gender data as opposed to sex. Here, Guyan
misses an opportunity to encourage stake-
holders to push for the collection of SOGI
items in the European Social Survey, which
does not currently collect such items.
In chapter 5, Guyan argues that “the clean-
ing of data can remove its queerness.” Ana-
lysts may decide to combine several response
categories to achieve sufficient case numbers
for statistical testing, for example, a move
that serves a practical purpose but can also
mask differences that exist between subpop-
ulations. Analysts may also remove answers
that do not conform with conventional ques-
tionnaire design, such as when respondents
strike out “male” and “female” and write
“nonbinary” in the margins.
The book concludes with eight “queer
questions” for practitioners to consider as
they engage in the collection, analysis, and
application of SOGI research: “Do your
methods present an authentic account of
LGBTQ lives?” for example, and “Do you el-
evate LGBTQ lives and critically examine the
invisibility of majority characteristics?”
Queer Data lacks any substantive dis-
cussion around collecting data on intersex
populations. Measures of this population are
almost never collected, yet intersex is increas-
ingly being included in the sexual minority
“umbrella.” Nonetheless, the book is a wel-
come addition on a topic that currently lacks
wide attention. Guyan poses provocative
questions that practitioners should consider
before embarking on research that focuses on
sexual and gender minorities. jREFERENCES AND NOTES- R. M. Groves et al., Survey Methodology (Wiley, ed. 2, 2009).
10.1126/science.abn1911DEMOGRAPHYBy Nancy BatesWho gets counted and how
Sexual orientation and gender identity data must be
collected and used with thought and with care
Queer Data: Using
Gender, Sex and Sexuality
Data for Action
Kevin Guyan
Bloomsbury Academic,- 240 pp.
Activists in Edinburgh respond to individuals protesting changes to Scotland’s census in September 2021.INSIGHTS | BOOKSThe reviewer is a retired senior survey methodologist,
US Census Bureau, Suitland, MD 20746, USA.
Email: [email protected]