October is LGBTQIA+ History Month. Founded by Missouri high school teacher Rodney Wilson in October 1994, LGBTQIA+ History Month honors the people, movements, and milestones that shaped LGBTQIA+ history. The month also includes National Coming Out Day (October 11) and Intersex Awareness Day (October 26). Both days highlight the importance of visibility in the LGBTQIA+ community.
For the California Community Colleges (CCC) system, part of that history is written in our data systems. How we ask students about their sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI), and what we do with the answers, shapes whether LGBTQIA+ students are visible when colleges plan services, direct funding, and measure equity.
|
Year |
Milestone |
|
2011 |
Assembly Bill 620 updated the Equity in Higher Education Act to protect students from discrimination based on gender identity and gender expression. It also required community colleges to let students report their sexual orientation and gender identity on forms that collect demographic data. |
|
2013 |
CCCApply, the systemwide application, began asking optional questions on sexual orientation and transgender identity. Starting in 2014, these questions were shown only to applicants 18 and older. |
|
2018 |
The CCC system added Student-Transgender (SB36) and Student-Sexual-Orientation (SB37) data elements. That same year, the Academic Senate passed a resolution calling for a nonbinary option on CCCApply, noting that students were being “compelled to select a binary gender designation.” |
|
2019 |
The Student-Gender data element (SB04) was updated to include nonbinary. |
|
2021 |
Assembly Bill 132 (Section 89) created dedicated state funding for LGBTQIA+ student support at community colleges. |
|
2022 |
Assembly Bill 2315 required colleges to let students, staff, and faculty use an affirmed name and gender in college records, such as rosters, email, ID cards, transcripts, and diplomas, wherever a legal name is not required. |
| 2024 |
The RP Group and the Foundation for California Community Colleges released Bringing Data Out of the Closet and Toward Equity. Only 55% of survey respondents were sure their college collected SOGI data, 75% were dissatisfied with their access to it, and only 15% felt confident in its quality. Concern about student privacy was the most common barrier to using the data (61%). Senate Bill 1491 required every community college and CSU campus to designate a point of contact for LGBTQIA+ students, staff, and faculty. It also required campuses to adopt policies on harassment and bullying. |
Recent changes at the federal level have reduced the SOGI information available. The Williams Institute identified approximately 360 federal data collections that removed SOGI measures between January 2025 and January 2026, the latest Civil Rights Data Collection no longer includes gender identity data, and a proposed rule would bar sexual orientation questions from the 2030 Census. As a result, state and college data are now a key source for understanding LGBTQIA+ students’ experiences.
California is also working to protect the data it collects. On September 26, 2026, Governor Newsom signed two bills into law. SB 1114 (Cabaldon) bars state and local agencies, including the CCC system, from sharing personally identifiable SOGI and intersex status data outside the California government. This law addresses the privacy concerns colleges identified as the top barrier to using SOGI data. SB 1328 (Cervantes) requires a confidential LGBTQIA+ point of contact at satellite and branch campuses, not only main campuses.
The CCC system is investing in support. According to the Chancellor's Office 2025–26 LGBTQ+ Program Legislative Report, colleges received $10 million in one-time funding for LGBTQIA+ students in 2024–25, with the intent to continue it in 2025–26. Colleges have used these funds mostly to hire staff, open LGBTQIA+ centers, and offer direct support such as textbooks, transportation, food vouchers, and “gender-neutral clothing and trans-affirming attire.” More than 70 colleges now hold Lavender Graduations to honor graduating LGBTQIA+ students. The report also recommends addressing intersectionality, since LGBTQIA+ students often face compounding challenges based on race, income, and other identities. Complete and accurate data helps us see where those challenges are greatest.
The Foundation for California Community Colleges also partners with the Chancellor’s Office on the systemwide LGBTQ+ Initiatives & Student Support Program, which offers technical assistance to colleges, a statewide resource hub, and a network of colleagues across the system.
Our own research shows why collecting SOGI data matters. At the 2026 CCC LGBTQIA2S+ Summit, The RP Group and Real College California shared findings from the 2025 Real College California Survey. When we disaggregated the data, LGBTQIA+ students reported higher rates of food and housing insecurity, with the largest gaps where LGBTQIA+ identity intersects with race, foster care, justice involvement, or military service. For example, 50% of transgender Black students reported experiencing homelessness, compared with 20% of students statewide.
Interested in strengthening SOGI data practices at your college? Here are some ways to get started:
Join the SOGI Coalition. The coalition meets at 1:00 pm on the fourth Monday of each month via Zoom. The next meeting is Monday, October 26, which is also Intersex Awareness Day. To join the email list, contact Jaime Sykes (jsykes@sdccd.edu).
Explore the research. Read the 2025 Real College California Survey Report, Bringing Data Out of the Closet and Toward Equity, and the Chancellor’s Office’s 2025–26 LGBTQ+ Program Legislative Report.
Know the laws. Cerritos College’s Know Your Rights: LGBTQ+ Laws webpage provides a clear overview of the California laws that protect LGBTQIA+ students and highlights how one college puts each law into practice.
Connect with the LGBTQIA+ Initiatives & Student Support Program. Sign up for the monthly newsletter, visit the Resource Hub to find LGBTQIA+ resources at colleges across the state, and email LGBTQinfo@cccco.edu to join the Chancellor’s Office LGBTQ+ listserv for CCC employees.
We would love to hear how your college is using SOGI data to support students. Share your stories, questions, and resources at communications@rpgroup.org.