Viewpoint by Craig Cammack, Chair of Lexington Fairness

It’s that time of the year again.  Actually, it’s that time of the decade again!  Yes, the census is back and this is the chance for every citizen to be counted.  The census is important, as it determines the number of seats our state occupies in the U.S. House of Representatives.  Additionally, the census provides vital information for advocacy, researching markets, locating pools of workers, and so much more.  In short, the census is critical and we hope you will all participate.  But, how can we ensure the LGBT community is represented in this year’s census and those in the future?

You should have recently received a census form in the mail. With ten easy questions, which the Census Bureau claims can be completed within ten minutes, you can make a difference.  If not turned in by April, you may receive a visit from a census employee who will ask you the questions in person.  Either way, you can represent the LGBT community in the census.  Starting in 1990, the option of designating yourself as an unmarried partner was added to the questionnaire.  This has provided valuable information for LGBT advocacy groups in help furthering the causes important to the LGBT community.

One group helping to further LGBT representation was formed by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.  Queer the Census is working to ensure the LGBT community is participating in the census.  You can identify yourself as an unmarried partner, or you can choose to refer to you and your significant other as spouses (it’s all up to you!).

According to Adrienne Critcher of PACE, a Louisiana-based LGBT organization, “Same-sex couples who are married, or consider themselves to be spouses, can identify one other adult as a ‘husband or wife.’ Other same-sex couples may instead decide to use the term ‘unmarried partner.’ In general, people who identify as unmarried partners are in a close personal relationship but are not married or do not think of themselves as spouses. Census data are based on how individuals self identify. This includes same-sex couples who live somewhere their relationship is not recognized.”

Even though you may identify yourself as a spouse or unmarried partner, Queer the Census is working to ensure that the next census in 2020 will include questions allowing citizens to identify their sexual orientation.  This information will provide accurate and detailed analysis of the LGBT population in the United States.  With this, policies and laws affecting our community can be advocated and lobbied more effectively, having critical and accurate data to utilize.  As the organization states, “LGBT people are basically invisible in the census, which is THE survey that is designed to accurately reflect the diverse reality of America’s population. Beyond being downright ridiculous, it’s also a big problem. The data collected has a direct impact on issues that are critical to every American – issues like health care, economic stability and safety. When LGBT people are not counted, individuals, families and communities suffer.”

So, as you open the census form you recently received, know that you have the right to represent yourself and your loved ones as you choose.  Whether you see yourself as single, living with an unmarried partner, or living with your spouse, it is truly in your hands.  However, you can assist with making the census more comprehensive and update it to include  the LGBT community.  Change takes time and now is the time to start.

For more information regarding ways to change the census, visit www.queerthecensus.org