Nordic countries face similar challenges in public data gathering of LGBTI+ people. While questions on gender identity and sexual orientation are nowadays often included in surveys, the actual set of questions differ, and countries would benefit from collaboration in developing and harmonizing the questions further. Testing and piloting with participation of LGBTI+ people when finalizing the questions is important, and several examples of this were given in the seminar.
When data are collected, timely and comprehensive reporting should be ensured. Currently, reporting and disseminating the results of public surveys from LGBTI+ perspective is inadequately resourced in most Nordic countries. Ethical considerations and participation of LGBTI+ people are important also when interpreting and reporting the results.
It is also important to acknowledge that quantitative research on general population surveys or register data is not sufficient. Due to the limited sample size, diverse groups of sexual orientation and gender identity are often grouped together, and differences in these groups are lost. Moreover, the content of general population survey questionnaires may not include topics relevant for LGBTI+ people. Targeted surveys are therefore also needed. Qualitative research is also very important, particularly for studying groups that tend to be too small for separate reporting, like elderly LGBTI people, and for studying intersectionality. Nordic collaboration should be advanced in all types of studies. Examples of Nordic collaborative research were given in the seminar.
Nordic support for collaboration is available, and the Nordic Ministers for Gender Equality & LGBTI have vowed “to defend the advancements already made on gender equality and equal rights for LGBTI persons, to never go backwards, and to keep pushing forward for progress.” This is the time to keep pushing forward for progress in joint efforts to enhance public data gathering and reporting of LGBTI+ people in Nordic countries.