Researchers allege US government tried to remove sexual orientation data from findings

Two California researchers reported that a U.S. government health publication instructed them to remove data on sexual orientation from their accepted manuscript. The researchers chose to withdraw their paper instead of complying with the request to censor content related to gender.

Tamar Antin noted that scientific integrity is threatened by such censorship, which violates the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ policy against altering scientific findings for political reasons. Andrew Nixon, an HHS spokesman, claimed that the agency is “restoring science to its golden standard to protect the integrity of science.”