Why We Ask About Sex Assigned at Birth
We ask about sex assigned at birth to ensure that all residents receive appropriate, respectful, and affirming care while addressing healthcare and housing needs.
- Ensuring Inclusive and Affirming Support
- Some transgender, nonbinary, and intersex individuals experience challenges in housing placement, healthcare access, and discrimination.
- Understanding both gender identity and sex assigned at birth helps us create policies that respect individuals while ensuring equitable access to recovery resources.
- Providing Gender-Affirming Medical and Recovery Care
- Certain medical and mental health needs may be connected to the sex assigned at birth (e.g., hormone therapy, reproductive health, or substance use effects on the body).
- Collecting this data allows us to ensure that transgender, nonbinary, and intersex individuals receive affirming care for their physical and mental well-being without making assumptions.
- Addressing Safety and Housing Considerations
- Recovery residences and treatment centers may have shared spaces (e.g., bedrooms and bathrooms), and it’s essential to house individuals in a way that respects their identity and safety.
- Collecting this information allows us to review policies to ensure all individuals are placed in spaces that align with their gender identity and comfort level.
- Supporting Equitable Data Collection and Advocacy
- Historically, LGBTQ+ and intersex individuals have been unrepresented in data collection, leading to gaps in services and funding.
- By collecting this information, we can advocate for more inclusive policies, funding, and training to better serve LGBTQ+ individuals in recovery settings.
How We Handle This Information
✔ Confidential & Optional – No one is required to answer, and responses are private.
✔ Used for Inclusivity, Not Exclusion – This data does not determine service eligibility. It helps us ensure policies are equitable.
✔ Affirming Language – We respect gender identity and use this question only to improve support systems.