It would be the first such statewide effort in the country, Dan O'Connell, director of the state Health Department's AIDS Institute, said in an interview with Capital.

Eight state agencies will soon begin collecting the self-reported, voluntary data on LGBT people who use their services. The agencies are: the Department of Health, Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, Office for the Aging, Office of Mental Health, Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services, Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, Office of Children and Family Services and Office for People with Developmental Disabilities.

The agencies will ask people using their public services to self-report their sexual orientation on forms, along with other identifying data state agencies typically collect.