2020 could have been the year that questions about sexual orientation and gender identity were included in the US Census. Instead, it was announced this week that the 2020 Census will not include questions about sexual orientation and gender identity. AVP has been tracking violence against LGBTQ people for 20 years, and knows the vital importance of this data to our lives. In order to know how many LGBTQ people are impacted by violence we need to know how many LBGTQ people exist. These numbers are also how resources are allocated: how towns, cities, and states decide where to direct fund and who to support with resources and services. AVP will continue to track the violence that LGBTQ people experience through the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs and ensure this data is visible in a political climate where we are increasingly more vulnerable. We have also joined with 11 other organizations from impacted communities to form Communities Against Hate to map the hate violence we are experiencing and connect survivors to resources. AVP will continue to ensure our communities are counted.
License to Discriminate
On Monday, Trump quietly signed an executive order (EO) revoking EO 13673, previously signed by President Obama in 2014. EO 13673 required that federal contractors show compliance with federal laws and other EOs. This was significant as Obama signed this EO on the same day that he signed the “Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces” EO, which directed that federal contractors could not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, and extended protections for LGBTQ workers. By rescinding the order that requires federal companies seeking federal contracts to prove they’ve complied with federal laws banning discrimination, Trump effectively rendered Obama-era protections toothless. Last year, NCAVP reported that 1 in 8 LGBTQ survivors reported experiencing violence at work, yet Trump’s latest EO will allow federal contractors to freely discriminate.
Here’s what you can do.
- Report violence you experience or witness to AVP and Communities Against Hate.
- If you know someone who is an LGBTQ survivor of violence who is experiencing trauma or fear as a result of these recent government actions, encourage them to contact AVP’s confidential 24-hour English/Spanish hotline at (212) 714-1141. They will be connected with a counselor who understands the ways this political climate is affecting our communities.
- Support AVP: Give now to ensure our voices are heard.
- Attend and share info about our free LGBTQ Legal Clinics focused on immigration, ID and document change, intimate partner violence representation, and more.
- Forward this email to a friend. Ask them to sign up for the AVP Action Brief to stay informed and activated, too.
Further reading:
Huffington Post: We Count: Why Data Matters More Than Ever For LGBTQ People – by AVP’s Emily Waters
NBC Out: LGBTQ Advocates Say Trump’s New Executive Order Makes Them Vulnerable to Discrimination
Washington Blade: Trump’s U.S. Census proposes, immediately cuts LGBT survey questions