LGBTQ+ Voices in Evaluation TIG Week: Keeping Queer People Safe in South Dakota by Cody Ingle and Susan Kroger

Date: Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Hi, we’re Cody Ingle, a Senior Research and Evaluation Specialist at Lost & Found, and Susan Kroger, an evaluator and nonprofit consultant based in Sioux Falls, SD. Cody is interested in health equity and social justice in research and evaluation. Susan’s work centers on social determinants of health, with an emphasis on justice impacted communities.

Following a decade of anti-queer policy in South Dakota, the Inclusive Care Collaborative (ICC) is working to ensure that queer people are counted, represented, and included. Now, more than ever, their stories need to be told. But in the current landscape, where the Federal government is erasing queer data, we must understand how to do it safely.

The ICC has spent almost three years collecting data, building trust within communities and ensuring that data capture is safe and secure. With virtually no data on queer communities, the ICC will be the first time large-scale health outcome data has been collected in the state. The survey focuses on demographics, access to care, and health outcomes.  We want to make sure that every person understands some basic safety guidelines regarding queer data collection.

Hot Tips

1. Begin with trust building. Partnering with other queer-serving organizations is crucial. These organizations are already in the community – they’ve done the work, they’ve built the trust, and they hold validity.
2. Host talk-back sessions with the community. Before we finalized the survey, we hosted talk-back sessions with queer people to ensure that the questions being asked were appropriate. We developed a survey in partnership with the community – and really, there is no better way.
3. Be in the community. Online recruitment was the primary way we received responses. However, we also were in the community. We went to Pride events across the state. We showed up in queer spaces. We made sure the community knew we are doing more than research – we are using the data to improve care.
4. Ensure data protections. This seems obvious but needs to be said. Any data collection for queer people, especially right now, should be anonymous or confidential – or both. Yes, there is a difference. If data collection cannot be anonymous, take every precaution possible to ensure it remains confidential. Think about applying for a Certificate of Confidentiality, if possible.

Lessons Learned

Evaluators understand the power of storytelling, and how individual experiences can bring context to data. Here are some lessons we learned through our process of storytelling.

1. Private events are probably best. We hosted four different panels of queer people across South Dakota, which told individual stories of what life is like living in a state where queer people are so marginalized. While we would have loved for the public to be invited, we also understood that safety could be compromised. We used our partnership with queer organizations to invite their circle, and people they knew were safe, into the events. You may also want to think about hiring security.
2. It’s okay to cancel or postpone. We had a great storytelling idea that would have brought 12 queer people’s stories on camera. However, as trans people became heightened targets, we decided it was best to postpone. Safety is more important than any storytelling campaign.

Reflection

Whether you are collecting data or telling impactful stories, it’s important to take every step you can to ensure that the safety of queer people, or any community, is put first. We can’t stop doing our work as evaluators, and we must always ensure it is the best benefit to the communities we work with.

The American Evaluation Association is hosting LGBTQ+ Voices in Evaluation TIG Week with our colleagues in the LGBTQ+ Voices in Evaluation Topical Interest Group. The contributions all this week to AEA365 come from our LGBTQ+ Voices in Evaluation TIG members. Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this AEA365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the AEA365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an AEA365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to AEA365@eval.org. AEA365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators. The views and opinions expressed on the AEA365 blog are solely those of the original authors and other contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of the American Evaluation Association, and/or any/all contributors to this site.