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Loading ...White House: Census to better count gay couples
06.22.2009 4:32pm EDT
(Washington) The White House said Friday it is working to ensure the 2010 census produces a better count of same-sex couples, last week’s second policy announcement aimed at dampening rising anger in the gay community toward President Barack Obama.
“The president and the administration are committed to a fair and accurate count of all Americans,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said. “We’re in the midst of determining the best way to ensure that gay and lesbian couples are accurately counted.”It is too late to change the language for the 2010 census survey, which does not include a specific box for same-sex marriages, civil unions or gay partnerships. That survey has already gone to Congress, with only boxes for “husband,” “wife” and “unmarried partner,” White House spokesman Ben LaBolt said.
So the administration is changing the census’ tabulation software to make needed changes in how the incoming data is analyzed and summarized. Formerly, if two people in one household checked “husband,” the data would be rejected. That will change, LaBolt said.
That means the count of same-sex couples won’t be comprehensive – but it will be better than before, he said. The Census Bureau has previously collected data on same-sex marriages, but not released it when it gives out all the other detailed demographic information from the decennial count, he said. Now it will be released.
On Wednesday, Obama signed a memorandum extending some of the benefits of married couples to the same-sex partners of gay federal employees. They include hospital visitation rights and the ability to take leave to care for a sick partner.
But the move to expand the rights of gays – a reliable Democratic voting bloc – was seen by many activists as too incremental and coming too late in Obama’s presidency. Health insurance and survivor benefits, among other things, were not part of Obama’s action, as they are forbidden by the 1993 Defense of Marriage Act.
Gay activists are angry that the president has not moved on legislation to overturn that law, which allows states to reject another state’s legalized gay marriages and blocks federal Washington from recognizing those state-based unions.
Another sore point is Obama’s inaction so far toward a repeal of the 1996 “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that bans gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military.
Why are some of the GLBT community disappointed with Obama? Before he was the official Democrat candidate he said he was against gay marriage because of his own religious beliefs. He wanted our votes, pure and simple. Also, his speaking of the anniversary of Stonewall was out of line. It’s our’s, not his. Get ready for more disappointments folks. And probably the obligatory empty suck-up to us before the next election.
One, if the federal government recognizes us as spouses in the census it makes their doma arguments weakened and that is good for us.
Two, all gays and lesbians should be counted for minority and diversity purposes. Anything less will diminish the political power of our community.
The Census if done right and including single LGBT will be the path to our civil right as each house and senate member will know our presence in each state.
sw, you are naive’ if you believe that anything is confidential in this day and age.
Regardless, I think people need to take a stance, no matter what the consequences.
As for the census, why would anyone trust Obama to do anything he says regarding the gay community?
Great. We can check wife or husband on the census form, but we’re still denied all the federal rights of marriage. And in my state, I can still get fired for being gay.
DeAnimator, Tristan Rob, & everyone else–
US Census data at an individual household level are absolutely confidential for 70 years. Not even other parts of the US federal government can obtain individual household records until that 70 years is up. The Census Bureau is very careful not to release even the compiled data in ways that individual household’s income, race, ethnicity, sex, age or marital status can be obtained.
EVERYONE, fill out the form regardless of legal residence, regardless of lies to the IRS, regardless of sexuality. It can only help increase your federal representation and your federal funding. There is NO downside to being counted.
I wonder how many gay couples (or singles) are going to disclose in states like Kansas, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida? We’ll be undercounted again; maybe that’s why the Obama Administration wants to know — to completely hose us?
And gay singles? Guess I’ll probably follow Lincoln’s advice and use a red pen to create my own box if necessary. As to Jonathan’s question about what does census inclusion mean? I work in county government in Minnesota, and have been active in the GLBT employees group. I can tell you that when various departments are calculating their budgets or deciding what programs they may need to implement, they use census figures to allocate resources and make decisions. Basically if GLBT folks aren’t represented in the census, we don’t exist when it comes to planning. Finally to DeAnimator: Your point about Nazi Germany is well taken. Being “out” in the census is a calculated risk. I have a historian friend, Jean Tretter, who basically advises GLBT folks to have an escape plan, in case things go bad. At the very least, have a valid passport. Then think about were you will go for the short term, and where ELSE you might have to go if exile turns out to be permanent.
I’m glad to see some movement on this other affront to the dignity of the GLBT community. Government approved discrimination is like the old Chinese “death of a thousand slashes“ — one or a hundred cuts wont kill you, it’s the prolonged torture that does it over time (in this case, meant to destroy the collective spirit of the GLBT community).
An unbiased and accurate census count has been kicked around ever since Obama took office and over fifty members of Congress wrote the federal departments governing the Census Bureau, as well as the President, to asked for the inclusion on the 2010 census of same-sex couples some time ago.
As far as the issue of the “crumbs” thrown GLBT federal workers last week:
“… the move to expand the rights of gays – a reliable Democratic voting bloc – was seen by many activists as too incremental and coming too late in Obama’s presidency. Health insurance and survivor benefits, among other things, were not part of Obama’s action, as they are forbidden by the 1993 Defense of Marriage Act.” (The Associated Press
06.22.2009 4:32pm EDT)
…Well, we really must insist that Congress address that issue in a bill which Obama spoke about last week that would allow full coverage of federal employees. That would help to chip away at most of the odious pretenses which form the exclusionary foundation of DOMA.
The snail’s-pace “progress” of the last few weeks reminds me of the wise old saying:
Q: How do you eat an elephant?
A: One bite at a time.
…But, I would add, don’t stop banging your fists on the table until you get your equal share of the elephant. Civil Rights are not a commodity to be rationed out disproportionately to just those most favored at the feast.
© Bud Evans
In Germany before Hitler’s rise a ton of gay men signed a petition or something and that was used to identify and cart off a bunch of them to concentration camps.
….Don’t trust this. Not in this climate.
The census is a very powerful tool. It means that we are counted, it means that WE know how larger our community is and just how much power WE have, and it means that we aren’t ignored. At the very least we are recorded in the history books as being around.
More than that, it is much easier to dismiss our needs if noone knows how many of us there are. All we have right now are guesses. We need a more scientific count, and a count that the government recognizes.
Don’t be fooled this is baby steps, but it is VERY IMPORTANT.
The census can be a powerful tool. Our inclusion means that we are counted, it means that WE know how large our community is and just how much power WE have, and it means that we aren’t ignored. At the very least we are recorded in the history books as being around, people know that our community is a legitimate minority community, much can come from that.
It is much easier to say that we don’t need protections when noone knows how many of us there are…all we have are simi good guesses right now…this will be a much more scientific measure..AND a government recognized measure of our community.
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT indeed, don’t be fooled, its baby steps for sure, but this is very important.
Great. The conservatives will just say that there are more of us to drain health care benefits away from straight couples, and that the liberal agenda is succeeding in making more of America gay. Just wait, it will happen. They’re jerks that way.
As long as there are areas where it is NOT in the individual’s best interest to tic a box that identifies one as “homosexual,” these census will mean nothing.
There are still many many areas where that would be painting a bull’s eye on your back.
Oh, excellent.
Now we can definitely get all our rights, since being in the census, kinda, means…well…what DOES it mean?
I am filling mine out in red pen and creating a check box where needed to discribe our relationship. I am tired of being ignored. The data collected is used for distrubition of funds for many programs. If we are not counted, we get nothing or very little for programs that support our population or health care issues.