Off-Road Alaska Gays first to Queer the Census

The 2010 US Census begins this week in western Alaska and, for the first time in history, the census will count both unmarried same-sex partners and legally married same sex spouses. Queer the Census encourages married same-sex couples to check the "husband or wife" box:

If you have legally married your same-sex spouse in any state, you may choose the "husband or wife" option, and the Census will record and report on these figures in its official Census tables on married couples in the U.S... Having a count of LGBT married couples will be an historic, important first step in changing the way the entire country understands LGBT partnership. If you are legally married, don't miss out on being counted!

Before 2000, there was no option for same-sex couples on the census form. If a gay partner checked "husband or wife," the Census Bureau assumed it was an error and changed the person's gender. There is still no question on sexual orientation or gender.

Queer the Census explains why the census is important for us:

The census tells the story of who we are as a nation, and that includes LGBT people — but only when we participate, and only when we're fully counted. Thanks to the collection of unmarried partner data, a more complete picture of who we are has emerged. For example, we know that same-sex couples live in 99% of all US counties, LGBT parents live in 97% of all US counties, and that Black and Latino same-sex couples are raising children at nearly the rates of their heterosexual peers, while earning lower incomes.

Still, there is no question on the 2010 census that asks individuals if they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender — and LGBT questions are not included in almost all other major federal surveys.

It's a big problem. The census, which counts everyone living in the United States every ten years, provides the data that is used to determine funding and policy priorities at the national and state level.

Being counted isn't just a numbers game, but a question of whether the LGBT community gets access to the resources that support our health, economic well-being, safety and families. The LGBT community must be visible--and that means participating in the census, but it also means being counted fully.

Get your free Queer the Census sticker HERE (pictured above) and use it to seal the back of your census envelope. For more information, read the FAQ at Queerthecensus.org and visit www.census.gov.

2010 U.S Census schedule:

Jan. 27: Northwest Arctic Borough, Seward Peninsula, & the Y-K Delta (except Bethel, Nome & Kotzebue.)

Feb. 16: Bristol Bay, Kodiak, Interior Villages and Glenallen.

March 9: Aleutians and North Slope.

Mid-March: Census forms mailed to the rest of Alaska and the US.