Senate GLASS Caucus

For Immediate Release
March 30, 2017
info@glasscaucus.org

WASHINGTON, DC – The Steering Committee of GLASS Caucus, the professional association for LGBTQ Senate Staff and their allies, released the following statement on the U.S. Census Bureau’s omission of questions related to sexual orientation and gender identity from the 2020 Census:

“One of the guiding principles of the GLASS Caucus is to increase the visibility of the LGBTQ community. A key component to being visible is collecting information and having scientific data on the number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer individuals in the country.

However, the federal government does not have a formal mechanism in place to track how many Americans identify as LGBTQ individuals. The Steering Committee was disappointed to learn that the Census Bureau will not include sexual orientation and gender identity in the 2020 Census or the supplemental American Community Surveys.

Data collection can be used not only to gauge how many LGBTQ people live in the United States, but also how current and future policies affect the LGBTQ community. Without a clear picture of just what the LGBTQ composition of the United States population is, it is very difficult for lawmakers and the federal government to create policies that enable the LGBTQ community to escape poverty, find lasting employment, and tend to unique medical needs. GLASS seeks to promote the welfare and dignity of LGBTQ people and as such, hopes that sexual orientation and gender identity data will soon be collected as part of federal surveys.”

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