SANTA FE, N.M. -- Bridging gaps in services for LGBTQ New Mexicans is the goal of an executive order signed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham Monday.

The order directs departments at the state level to begin collecting data about sexual orientation and gender identity on forms and applications when other demographic data is collected.

The group Equality New Mexico championed the executive order after the state Legislature failed to act on similar legislation.

Marshall Martinez, executive director of the group, said the Governor's order is the first step toward creating a long-overdue database.

"What LGBTQ New Mexicans are experiencing when it comes to barriers, inequities or gaps in services around health care, education or economic stability," Martinez outlined.

Martinez pointed out the move will make New Mexico a national leader in addressing some of the life-or-death issues faced by gay and trans Americans.

Martinez noted the New Mexico Department of Health has been asking questions about sexual orientation and gender identity for decades, in the context of sexually transmitted disease or AIDS prevention and treatment.

He emphasized, like other information provided to the state, LGBTQ self-identification information will be voluntary.

"Just as some people choose not to identify their race, or their age or their annual income, they also don't have to identify their sexual orientation or gender identity," Martinez explained.

Martinez hopes successful use of the demographic-analysis tool in New Mexico will encourage other states to follow suit and create better policies for all LGBTQ Americans.

While lawmakers in many states have introduced legislation to roll back LGBTQ+ rights within their borders, New Mexico is not one of them, and advocates want to keep it that way.

Equality New Mexico has released its preferred list of candidates for the June 7 primary election.

Marshall Martinez, executive director of the group, said people running for office are asked to complete an extensive questionnaire before receiving an endorsement. And with more and more attacks on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, Martinez argued complacency is not an option.

"And we had some of those attacks in our session," Martinez recounted. "We defeated them, but we have to keep working to keep electing the leaders that are going to defend us from those attacks when they come."

New Mexico is one of eight states to pass pro-equality measures in the past few years. It is also part of a coalition of 18 states announcing plans to introduce legislation they say will be needed to protect transgender kids from civil and criminal penalties when seeking gender-affirming care.

Based on a leaked draft opinion, the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion.

Martinez sees it as another reason to elect reliable champions and allies who would allow New Mexicans to make their own decisions about their bodies, lives and destinies.

"We're framing this election as being a crucial piece of the overall election this year," Martinez noted. "Especially to protect bodily autonomy for folks who need reproductive health care access, abortion access, gender-affirming health care; all of those things."

According to the Human Rights Campaign, more than 300 bills were introduced this year targeting the LGBTQ+ community nationwide.

Earlier this spring, Gov. Eric Holcomb vetoed a GOP-authored bill banning transgender girls from school sports. Now, Holcomb's own party is poised to override the veto and force the bill into law next week.

Chris Paulsen, CEO of Indiana Youth Group, said her organization has resources for transgender teens who may be facing mental-health difficulties because of the bill and its surrounding political rhetoric, including one-on-one counseling and peer-to-peer support groups.

"They can choose which group they feel comfortable in," Paulsen explained. "We have a trans and nonbinary discussion group, we have a queer and trans people-of-color group, and then there's groups that just allow youths to relax and feel good about themselves."

Republican leaders say they will use next Tuesday's Technical Corrections Day to override Holcomb's veto. According to its authors, the bill aims to guarantee fair play in school sports.

In his veto message, Holcomb pushed back against the assertion, essentially writing the bill was attempting to address a nonexistent issue and could open the state to lawsuits.

Indiana's bill is part of a nationwide wave of such measures, as 16 states have enacted laws banning trans students from sports.

Paulsen pointed to data from the Trevor Project indicating even the introduction of such bills can have serious impacts on trans kids' mental health.

"Statistics say that 85% of trans and nonbinary teens will be negatively impacted by just the bill being heard, and we're seeing that," Paulsen pointed out. "We're trying to support those youths by letting them know they are valued, and their identities are real, and we see them as they are."

While the Indiana Youth Group is based in Indianapolis, Paulsen said the organization provides remote support to students across the state via its Virtual IYG program.

New Mexico and 18 other states have announced plans to introduce legislation they say will be needed to protect transgender kids from civil and criminal penalties when seeking gender-affirming care.

The proactive response follows proposed legislation in Texas, Louisiana, Arizona, Alabama and other states criminalizing such care.

Havens Levitt, chair of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network of New Mexico, said the dehumanizing language increasingly used to describe trans students takes a toll on kids' mental health.

"It's really heartbreaking to know that students hear some of the incredibly hateful things that are being said about them from adults," Levitt explained. "When our students in New Mexico hear those things, I know that it impacts them."

At a news conference in California last week, a coalition of LGBTQ legislators, health providers and civil-rights groups, including representatives from New Mexico, announced plans to pass laws to provide safe havens for trans youths and their families.

For nearly 20 years, New Mexico has had a law to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Three years ago, legislators also passed the "Safe Schools for All Students Act" which required schools to enact anti-bullying policies. Nonetheless, Levitt noted some areas of the state could use more resources to keep students safe.

"Transgender people have incredibly high rates of suicide attempt and completion," Levitt pointed out. "That just contributes to that sense of not belonging and not having the right to live the way they want to live and be who they want to be."

Upon taking office, President Joe Biden reversed several anti-LGBTQ executive orders issued under President Donald Trump, but Levitt worries with the new attacks, the fight for civil rights is not over.

"There's so many things happening right now that feel like we're going to live in this universe of two Americas," Levitt lamented. "It feels like we're going to be playing defense for I don't know how long, but it's definitely not very comfortable."

There were more than 300 bills introduced targeting the LGBTQ community nationwide in 2022, according to the Human Rights Campaign.