Is Your Baby Gay? And Other Nonsense Questions
New Jersey Hospitals add on questionnaire that asks about baby's gender and sexuality
A state law, designed to collect demographic data from all patients—including sexual orientation and gender identity—turned into a comedic (or tragic, depending on your perspective) spectacle this year. New mothers, fresh from the delivery room, found themselves facing questionnaires asking their newborns about their sexual preferences and gender identity. And it wasn't just new parents; pediatricians were tasked with the seemingly impossible: assessing the 'romantic leanings' and ‘queerness’ of their child patients. The resulting uproar proved that even 'well-intentioned' data collection can take a wildly absurd turn when applied without a dash of common sense.
In 2022, Bill A4385/A4385 was signed into law with the following intention:
Specifically, the bill provides that the cultural competency training programs hospitals and clinical laboratories are required to implement under P.L.2021, c.454 are to include training on how to collect race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity in a culturally competent and sensitive manner.
Hmmmm, doesn’t seem to be culturally competent nor sensitive to assume that children are involved in sex. Not surprising because they never think of children when voting on a law.
NJ Senate:
NJ Assembly
Why does your doctor need to know your or your child’s sexuality or gender identity? The idea is that this information helps guide medical care—transgender individuals on hormones have a higher risk of blood clots and breast cancer, and gay and bisexual men have higher rates of STIs like HIV. Collecting this data, in theory, allows for better screenings, prevention, and targeted care.
But let’s be honest—many of these risks have nothing to do with identity itself. STIs don’t check your dating profile before infecting you; they spread based on behaviors like multiple partners and condom use. Blood clots and breast cancer aren’t caused by being transgender but by taking hormone therapy. Instead of treating identity as a risk factor, why not just ask everyone the relevant questions? "How many partners do you have?" "Do you use protection?" "Are you on hormone therapy?"—all far more useful than assuming risks based on labels. Mental health? Just give all patients a depression screening instead of assuming LGBTQ+ individuals are automatically in crisis. A behavior-based approach is more accurate, avoids awkward assumptions, and spares everyone from unnecessary personal disclosures.
From Atlantic Health System:
From Advocare:
If medical risk factors can indeed be effectively assessed through behavioral questionnaires rather than by directly asking about identity or sexuality, then the emphasis on collecting information about gender identity and sexuality may not be purely about medical necessity. It is more likely that this is a way to fulfill the “Inclusion” part of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) agenda, making everyone feel heard and seen.
Is it more about the feels and less about your medical care… or is it more about state surveillance? (see below paragraph from the bill)
Download bill below:
Yup. I'm a physician and told them where they could shove this form at Atlantic Health urgent care just 2 days ago. Absurd.
yeah, NO.