Mission

No one should experience injustices and violence because of who they are. Dataout is a nonprofit dedicated to uncovering discrimination and crimes based on SOGIESC – sexual orientation, gender identity & expression, and sex characteristics. By conducting research and releasing open data, we aim to empower journalists, researchers, human rights advocates, and policymakers in creating a better social and legal environment for LGBTQIA+ people and others affected by SOGIESC-based discrimination. We focus on the regions where these issues are severe and least visible.

Opening up impactful data

Discrimination and crimes based on SOGIESC should be made visible. We use computational approaches to produce reliable knowledge on these harms. We collect, analyse, and openly release data and data-driven publications to create awareness about SOGIESC-based discrimination among professionals and the general public. We release our work under an open licence, providing thorough documentation and presenting it in an accessible way for a wide reach and meaningful reuse. When concrete cases of injustices are made visible, they become harder to ignore and easier to address.

Focussing on the regions with scarce information

Human rights do not have borders. We must pay attention to the areas where human rights are disregarded and people are in danger because of their SOGIESC. We focus our effort first on uncovering evidence of SOGIESC-based discrimination and crimes in the regions, where such information is poor, unreliable, or censored by the governments. Among our focus areas are the Central Asian and Eastern European countries. Our first project, Grey Rainbow, documents the consequences of anti-LGBTQIA+ laws in Russia. As our foundation grows, we aim to extend our focus to other regions.

Empowering those who can make a difference

We create data and research resources for organisations and individuals who combat SOGIESC-based discrimination. We strive to produce output that informs reporting, advocacy, policymaking, and drives change. We also offer expertise in collecting, analysing, and presenting data. Reach out to us if you need help reusing our work or seek collaboration.

Values and principles guiding our work

1. Non-discrimination. Everyone has the right to live safely, without discrimination and violence. We uphold this principle universally, regardless of local laws, political or cultural contexts. As long as people face discrimination based on their SOGIESC, our work will continue.
2. Transparency. We are committed to the openness of our work. We provide open, detailed documentation of our research, datasets, and methods. We acknowledge our limitations and take responsibility for mistakes. We also maintain transparency in our operations and finances.
3. Ethical data collection. The data about SOGIESC is sensitive, and we handle it with care. We assess potential risks before collecting and publishing data. We document our datasets and methodologies and provide a feedback mechanism. In addition to adhering to the FAIR data principles, we follow the EU’s ethical guidelines for SOGIESC data.