Which Came First, the Data or the Policy?
The Census Bureau collects millions of data points released through the Census and the American Community Survey, giving government agencies essential insight into the profile of the American population. In the age of evidence based policy and big data, Census data plays a vital role in policy decisions. The Census fails to explore two areas of the population: sexual orientation and gender.
The L.G.B.T community felt hope in 2017 when the Census listed sexual orientation and gender as proposed topics in its report to Congress. A revised report omitting both sexual orientation and gender identity removed this hope from the community following its release.
Despite the fact that more than 75 members of Congress requested the addition of sexual orientation and gender identity to the American Community Survey in 2016, the revision excluded them. However, according to the then director the Census Bureau, John H. Thompson, “We carefully considered this thoughtful request and again worked with federal agencies and the OMB Interagency Working Group on Measuring Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity to determine if there was a legislative mandate to collect this data. Our review concluded there was no federal data need to change the planned census and ACS subjects.”
We are left to posit the age-old question. Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
If policy heavily relies on data only collected during a “legislative mandate”, we become stuck in an infinite loop in which hope of progress shrivels with each addition iteration. Don’t be fooled—this action is a political statement.
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