“Ensuring the 2020 Census is conducted in a fair, accurate and nonpartisan manner is critical for all Californians — especially those who are most likely to be undercounted, such as our immigrant and LGBTQ communities. Adding a divisive, untested citizenship question to satisfy a fringe element of the president’s base would clearly compromise the Census Bureau’s constitutional responsibility. The State of California has a strong track record fighting the Trump Administration’s discriminatory actions in court, and Equality California is confident Attorney General Becerra and Secretary Padilla will succeed once again.”
Equality California is a member of Census Policy Advocacy Network (CPAN), a collaborative effort among ten statewide organizations in California to help shape public policy concerning the American Community Survey and 2020 Census. Certain populations traditionally have been disproportionately undercounted in the decennial census, including African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinx communities, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) people, low-income communities, children and those experiencing homelessness.
Last March, the U.S. Census Bureau announced that they would leave out critical questions on sexual orientation and gender identity from the 2020 Census or American Community Survey, in conflict with the recommendations of four federal agencies, including the Department of Justice. These decisions to ignore the LGBTQ community and target immigrant communities for exclusion disproportionately impact California, which has the largest statewide LGBTQ and immigrant populations in the country.
On February 12, 2018, Attorney General Becerra and 18 additional Attorneys General sent a letter to Secretary Ross warning that a citizenship question would violate the U.S. Constitution and federal statutes. Earlier today, Attorney General Becerra – along with Secretary of State Alex Padilla – published an op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle highlighting how high the stakes are for California.
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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
