The collection and analysis of documents for the Civil Liberties and Sexual Orientation Project

This article shows how documents are collected and analyzed as part of a complex methodology to supplement and verify data gathered for the Civil Liberties and Sexual Orientation Project. During interviews, respondents are shown a checklist and asked if they have documents that may support their belief that they have experienced discrimination. Interviews are considered fully documented if materials are obtained which demonstrate that action was taken against a respondent and that the action was based on sexual orientation or on departures from social sex-role stereotypes. Documents are also collected to see if other attributes of a respondent were involved in the action. In addition, supplemental information is obtained that augments interview data.