The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner/Coroner will begin collecting data on gender identity and sexual orientation after the Board of Supervisors passed a motion requesting it on Sept. 3.

Los Angeles County supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Kathryn Barger co-authored the motion, stating the data would provide a clearer picture on disparities in mortality rates and help the county develop services and policies that meet the needs of LGBTQ individuals. The data would specifically help track LGBTQ suicide rates, violent deaths and hate crimes.

“Compared to the rest of the population, the LGBTQ+ population faces disproportionate rates of depression and suicidality,” Kuehl said. “It’s important for us to start tracking these numbers so we can create policy and expand resources that better support the well-being of this population.”

Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jonathan Lucas said the first step for collecting data is to train the staff on how to ask family members about the deceased’s gender identity and sexual orientation, as the family might not be supportive of that person’s lifestyle or choices.

“We are going through a consultant that we know and somebody that we trust to come talk to us about how to ask the question,” Lucas said.

Though he could not say definitively whether the data collected would help the LGBTQ community, Lucas said he is optimistic.

“My office is in the unique position to help,” Lucas said. “I think it is the right thing to do.”

Almost 40% of LGBTQ youth have considered suicide in the past year, and over half of transgender and nonbinary youth have considered the same, according to the Trevor Project’s National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health.

“At the Trevor Project, we know that too many LGBTQ people die by suicide every year, but because of gaps in the data collection process, we don’t actually know how many, and that lack of information limits our ability to prevent future suicides,” said Sam Brinton, head of Advocacy and Government Affairs for the Trevor Project, in a statement. “We are grateful to Los Angeles County for taking action to ensure that L.A. County medical examiners and coroners will have the training and resources they need to accurately and respectfully account for a deceased individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Only through routine, systematic, evidence-based data collection can we learn the lessons we need in order to save LGBTQ lives.”

The medical examiner’s office will proceed with the data collection after training the staff.