The Atlantic

Why the Trump Administration Won't Ask About LGBT Americans on the 2020 Census

This week, the Census Bureau appeared to move toward adding questions about gender identity and sexual orientation. Then it changed its mind. What happened?
Source: Jonathan Drake / Reuters

The Census Bureau had to give Congress a list of proposed topics for its 2020 survey of America this week. Tucked in at the end of its 77-page report was an item that’s never been included in the census before: sexual orientation and gender identity, marked as “proposed.”

Shortly after the bureau released its report, a new version came out. This time, the line about sexual orientation and gender identity was missing. The bureau didn’t immediately post an update about what had changed to its website or explain what had happened at length.Its “proposal” to include questions about LGBT identity on its upcoming surveys had just disappeared.

LGBT advocates were outraged. The National LGBTQ Taskforce started circulating a graphic, later republished by. High-profile political figures like Chelsea Clinton the link to an article on the website which claimed in its headline, “Trump Administration Omits LGBTQ People from 2020 Census.”

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