The next Census should collect data on LGBTQ Americans so the government can serve them.

Good public policy depends on thorough and accurate data. For over 200 years, the Census Bureau has provided Congress and other federal agencies with a demographic portrait of the United States, which enables lawmakers to determine how resources should be allocated to meet the needs of the diverse populations within our country. However, this demographic portrait is incomplete because neither the decennial census nor the annual American Census Survey ask respondents if they are willing to report sexual orientation and gender identity. This means that LGBTQ people cannot be counted.

Despite tremendous progress in the fight to secure equal human rights for LGBTQ people, the fact remains that we know little about the social and economic circumstances of the country’s LGBT population at large.

Overwhelming evidence suggests LGBT Americans continue to experience discrimination in everyday life, including in employment, housing and the justice system. Independent studies have revealed the LGBT community suffers from decreased social and familial support and endures higher instances of poverty. Forty percent of homeless youth identify as LGBT, even though LGBT youth make up just 5 to 10 percent of the overall youth population. LGBT individuals are also incarcerated at three times the rate of the general population. While independent studies are helpful, they cannot replace the Census. Expanded data collection is needed to help policymakers understand the full extent of the disparities.

That’s why in recent years the U.S. Department of Justice, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the EPA have all requested the addition of sexual orientation and gender identity questions to the Census. In April we echoed those calls with 84 of our Congressional colleagues in a bipartisan effort to demand LGBT-inclusive data collection and to urge the Census Bureau to explain why they have been reluctant to address the issue.

This administration has tried to hide or erase LGBTQ people from federal surveys and technical assistance resources. Without Congressional intervention or an immediate change in course by the Census Bureau, there won’t be another opportunity to gather data on this scale for a decade or more.

That’s why we introduced an amendment to require the Census Bureau to conduct a study on the feasibility of expanding data collection on sexual and gender identity. We know these questions are needed.

The Census Bureau’s data collection efforts have always played a significant role in our ability to understand who we represent and how best to serve them. LGBTQ Americans – like every American – deserve to be counted and recognized. We hope our amendment will lead to a more inclusive Census that acknowledges the full diversity of our country’s population.

REP. JIMMY PANETTA, D-Carmel Valley, represents District 20 and Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Los Angeles, represents District 28 in Congress. This story first appeared in the Los Angeles Blade.