Removal of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity from Federal Data Collections
Using primarily government sources, this study examines the removal of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) measures from federal data collections in the first year of the second Trump administration.
Executive Summary
Data on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) are essential for understanding the characteristics of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations in the United States. However, on the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that declared it was official policy of the administration that transgender, nonbinary, and intersex identities would not be recognized by the federal government. In response, federal agencies began removing gender identity questions, along with several other data elements related to LGBT communities, from a broad range of federal data collections.
Using primarily government sources, we identified the removal of at least one SOGI measure from approximately 360 different federal data collections. We consider this a conservative estimate and expect upward revisions as ongoing data reconciliation and discovery of additional removals continue. Additionally, we found:
- The majority (94%) of data elements removed from federal collections were gender identity demographic measures (n=338 collections). These changes were made largely pursuant to President Trump’s Executive Order 14,168.
- At least 60 data collections also removed sexual orientation data elements. These actions were not explicitly mandated under Executive Order 14,168 or related implementation guidance.
- Twenty-three (23) collections removed SO and/or GI data elements from bias motivation questions, precluding the ability to report discrimination on these bases.
- Eighty-three percent (83%) of removals were made through non-substantive change requests made to the Office of Management and Budget (n=300). Very few collections were changed through the formal notice-and-comment process (n=34).
- These removals span multiple data collection types, including national surveys and surveillance systems, government-funded research studies, programmatic monitoring systems and evaluation studies, and administrative forms and records.