Director, Commonwealth Policy Center

Every 10 years the U.S. Census Bureau gathers information about population changes in the U.S. A longer census form, called the American Community Survey gathers other data including income, marital status and religion. It's sent to 3.5 million Americans and helps determine the distribution of federal funds. But are there some things that the government shouldn't be asking? In 2016, several federal agencies under the Obama administration asked the Census Bureau to include questions about gender identity and sexual orientation. Both were once considered very private. Both remain controversial topics. Now under the Trump administration, the Census Bureau is scrapping their plans to collect the controversial data. The move may have upset LGBT groups, but in a sense it respects one of their earliest wishes, which is keep their sexuality a private matter.