Federal surveys trim LGBT questions, alarming advocates

Combined with the withdrawal of another planned survey evaluating the effectiveness of a homelessness project for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth, the moves have alarmed watchdogs who worry they may point to a manipulation of government data collection to serve the ideology of a government they view as hostile to their causes.

"In an age when LGBT rights are such a part of the national discussion, the Trump administration is choosing to not only ignore us but erase us from the discussion," said Laura Durso, vice president of the LGBT Research and Communications Project at the Center for American Progress, a nonprofit liberal advocacy group.

A revised draft posted four days after President Donald Trump's inauguration included a question on sexual orientation, but the survey was subsequently edited, with the deletion of the sexuality question the only apparent notable change.

Michael Adams, CEO of Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders, or SAGE, said halting the data collection had the potential to affect not just federal funding and programming, but those at the state and local level that take their cues from Washington.

[...] his administration stepped back from Obama's position allowing transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms corresponding to their gender identity, and LGBT advocates have said they're troubled by cabinet appointees, including HHS Secretary Tom Price, whom they regard as virulently anti-gay.