Los Angeles–In response to the introduction of the 2020 American Census Investment Act (H.R. 4013) yesterday in Congress by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Equality California National Policy Director Valerie Ploumpis issued the following statement:
“Full and adequate funding for the 2020 Census is critical for the health and wellbeing of LGBTQ people and other communities that are underserved and overlooked, including youth and seniors, people of color, transgender people and the undocumented. When people are not counted, they literally do not count and do not receive the services they need.
The Trump Administration already has announced that it plans to force LGBTQ people back into a collective closet by cancelling plans to include questions about sexual orientation and gender identity in the 2020 census.
Equality California has also sent a letter urging Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to restore questions about sexual orientation and gender identity to the 2020 Census.
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Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org
