*5.2. The Importance of Expanding the Gender Variable for the Queer Community*

The same disaggregation that must occur within racial and/or ethnic groups should also occur within gender identities if feasible given the cultural context, as researchers must move behind the gender binary and allow queer survey respondents to accurately and narrowly define their own gender identity. However, we already addressed issues in several countries where some countries openly oppress and discriminate against queer people [32]. In these circumstances, it may be difficult or impossible to gather truly equitable and democratic datasets where everyone's voice—and their personally accurate identities—is captured accurately and in a culturally-responsive way. For decades, scholars of queer studies have criticized the male–female sexuality binary and man–woman gender binary of data collection and analysis, insisting that people who do not feel that one of the binary categories describes them have felt their sense of existence silenced and marginalized [40,41].

Research regarding the higher education experiences of transgender people has suggested that people who do not view school supports as gender neutral, such as genderinclusive bathrooms and nondiscrimination policies that are inclusive of diverse and non-binary gender identities, may self-exclude from higher education, limiting the educational opportunities for non-binary conforming individuals [40,41]. As a result, researchers and social justice advocates in developing nations must first challenge oppressive societal norms, such as the subjugation of queer people, and work to facilitate more welcoming, inclusive societies on the basis of gender identity. Then, researchers and policymakers should build survey instruments that allow non-binary confirming respondents to narrowly define their gender identity to best represent the population and allow policymakers to allocate resources equitably.
