Democratic Senators introduce Census Equality Act

A new bill introduced by Democratic senators Kamala Harris (CA) and Tom Carper (DE) would require the U.S. Census and American Community Survey to collect sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data by 2030 and 2020 respectively.

The U.S. Census Bureau has already committed to the inclusion of “same-sex” and “opposite-sex” relationship differentiations in the 2020 census, but the new bill would further expand the survey to collect data on single LGBT+ people, including transgender people. Advocates say that LGBT+ inclusive data collection is essential not only for reasons of visibility, but also because a more complete official count of LGBT+ people in the United States would most likely enhance community access to government benefits and help substantiate SOGI-based discrimination cases.

“The spirit of the census is that no one should go uncounted and no one should be invisible,” Harris said in a written statement. “We must expand data collections efforts to ensure the LGBTQ community is not only seen, but fully accounted for in terms of government resources provided.”

In light of disagreement surrounding the specific language used in SOGI measurements, the bill would require that research be conducted to develop new questions.

Read more at NPR

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