Why did DnD remove Half-Elves?

Quote from MaedraDawnkeeper >>

But I strongly advise instead focusing more on cultures a PC lives/lived with/in than what a character is born into, body-wise.

 This was specifically called out as to why they shifted ability score increases to backgrounds.  Because the character's upbringing and would provide more variety and strengths than "I have these genes therefore I am smart."

Quote from Perringaiden >>

Quote from CunningSmile >>

Admittedly I'm a pasty white guy from England so my lived experience is different from a lot of other people (so tell me to butt out if I'm being insensitive) but why do people always question/complain about/resent the Half Elf being removed but you never hear a peep about the fact half-Dwarf or half-gnome has never been an option or the fact that the two half races we did have were both other half-human? I admit that the answer should have been to expand options rather than remove, even just a side bar like they had in UA if they weren't willing to go full An Elf and an Orc had a Little Baby, but it seems to responses to stuff being removed have all been very selective and many just based on the Half-Elf being a pretty powerful mechanical choice

 Mul is a Dark Sun race option from 2e, with a dwarf parent and a human parent, but as the name hints, genetically sterile.  There's also mentions in Forgotten Realms old lore about Dwelves. And Ogrillion is a Half-ogre.

 Mul is also a bigoted term in Athas itself.

Quote from PPSS2022 >>

Like, whhhhhy? I get the removal of half-orcs, because the true orc species really filled in that niche and to make room for other species, but Half-Elves are a staple of fantasy! Why were these removed?

 "I get the removal of half-elves, because the true elf species really filled in that niche and to make room for other species, but Half-Orcs are a staple of fantasy!"

It's the exact same thing.  You can absolutely play a "half-elf" in standard 5.5e.  Either the Elven side is prominent and you use the Elf species, or the Human side is prominent and you use the Human species.  

I would recommend reading previous threads on this exact topic before starting a new one to rehash what has already been said.

Quote from RecordiconKnok >>

Quote from Frachese >>

It makes perfect sense with the change in terminology. It's sort of in the biological definition of species that you can't mix them to get a new species.

 Actually, you can mix two species to get a new one. It's called hybrid speciation. Plenty of species are the result of this, like the Clymene dolphin or the New Mexico whiptail

 And, in the Eastern parts of the United States and Canada, the Eastern Coyote, also called the Coydog, Coyle, or Coywolf.  A hybrid that on average is 2/3 coyote, with the remaining third being split roughly between wolves and domestic dogs.  

Quote from ArmorStorm >>

Quote from PPSS2022 >>

Like, whhhhhy? I get the removal of half-orcs, because the true orc species really filled in that niche and to make room for other species, but Half-Elves are a staple of fantasy! Why were these removed?

 "I get the removal of half-elves, because the true elf species really filled in that niche and to make room for other species, but Half-Orcs are a staple of fantasy!"

It's the exact same thing.  You can absolutely play a "half-elf" in standard 5.5e.  Either the Elven side is prominent and you use the Elf species, or the Human side is prominent and you use the Human species.  

Not really- half-orcs had almost nothing mechanically or descriptively to distinguish them from full orcs beyond "orcs are too evil to be a PC race", which is both setting specific and has a lot of baggage. This because the race was largely a half-measure- wordplay intended- to allow for orcs in typical parties once they gained a lot more prevalence in fantasy media as something besides generic minions. Half elves have a lifespan that is out of sync with either side of their lineage, qualities like seeing in the dark that distinguish them from humans on the one hand, and on the other lacking the iconic D&D elven trance, which has the narrative/characterization advantage of raising spiritual questions in settings like the FR. Creates a very distinct characterization that doesn't lend itself well to just reskinning one of the parent sets of traits.