National Academy of Sciences appoints ASU professor to committee on well-being of sexual and gender minorities

On June 13, the National Academy of Sciences appointed Arizona State University School of Social Transformation Associate Professor Marlon Bailey to serve as a member of its Committee on Review of Data and Research on Social Outcomes for LGBTQ+ Populations.

According to the National Academy of Sciences, the committee “will conduct a study to review data and research on the state of LGBTQ+ populations on dimensions such as family formation and parenting, social stratification and mobility, attitudes and social acceptance, mental and physical health, military, workplace and school experiences, and integration in American society.”

Bailey said he welcomed the invitation to serve on the committee and is enthusiastic about the prospect of affecting policy.

“When I first received the invitation, I was not fully aware of the magnitude of this opportunity to potentially impact public policy,” he said. “It was not until I was at the first meeting at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. that I began to make the connections.”

The discussions that took place at the meeting illuminated the importance and potential impact of the committee’s work. Bailey said that he “also learned that it was a previous NAS Consensus Committee that produced the widely read and cited report on LGBT Health in 2011.”

“Being at the table with 10 other scholars from all over the country, and discussing the aims of the committee, made me understand both the great importance of the report that we are charged with writing and the amount of work it will entail to write it,” he said.

“This committee’s focus is extremely important because — similar to the 2011 report — researchers, policy makers, legislators, activists, practitioners and the general public will read, use and reference this report in efforts to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people and the conditions under which we live,” Bailey said.

The congruencies between the focus of the committee and his scholarship make Bailey particularly well-suited to serve as a member. “As a black, gay scholar who works with LGBTQ+ communities of color, this kind of opportunity is why many scholars like me do what we do,” he said.

Bailey will serve on the committee through Dec. 31, 2020.