Commission chair calls DOJ removal of gender‑identity survey questions 'a national disgrace' and vows advocacy

Chair Brian Levin told the California Commission on the State of Hate that he and colleagues will vigorously oppose a Department of Justice decision to remove questions about gender identity and violence from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS).

"It is an outrage that...they made a decision to remove all questions about gender identity and violence against our transgender brothers and sisters from its most crucial survey," Levin said during commission discussion, adding: "This is a national disgrace." He said he had been coordinating with colleagues in Washington, D.C., and in California to respond and that his actions are personal advocacy, not an official commission position.

Levin and other commissioners stressed the importance of CHIS and NCVS data for documenting violence against transgender people and other vulnerable groups. Commissioners noted that official law‑enforcement data undercount such victimizations and that removing demographic questions will impede monitoring and response for those populations.

The transcript records no department response to the DOJ memo during the meeting. Lynn Langton, the RTI presenter, flagged separately that the funded federal hate‑crime resource center she had been preparing to launch was not able to proceed because funding "was terminated earlier in the month," a separate development commissioners said raises concerns about consolidating best practices for law enforcement and community response.

Chair Levin directed staff to circulate resources and encouraged commissioners and allies to engage federal partners on the change to NCVS content. The commission discussion closed without a formal commission vote on the matter.