4.15.10 Editor’s Desk

In case you’ve been living under a rock or have been out of the country for the past six months, the 2010 U.S. Census is underway. Ten simple questions have landed in mailboxes across the country, asking about race, the number of people in the home and marital status. Forms should be returned to the Census Bureau no later than Friday, April 16.

The whole process seems pretty straightforward and I’m excited to participate this year. During the 2000 Census, I was in the midst of moving from Missouri to Florida and regrettably did not fill out the paperwork. This year, I dutifully completed the form the moment it hit my mailbox and sent it out the following day. My partner and I will be counted as “unmarried partners” since our California marriage isn’t recognized in Florida. Looking back, I should have checked the “husband” box when defining our relationship. But we will be counted as partners. I’m happy about that.

While the option isn’t a perfect way to count LGBT people in the Census, it’s a marked step in the right direction—that is, if everyone participates. My inbox is flooded daily with messages from LGBT-rights groups reminding me to check the appropriate box to ensure my relationship is counted.

Census data, of course, is used to create a “snapshot” of our society. It also focuses appropriate funding for different communities while ensuring appropriate representation in our national governmental system.

But as the federal government wraps up its decennial obligation, far-right conservatives have also ramped up the debate over its composition and use. A movement to refuse to answer the race/ethnicity question has gained some momentum, while some have suggested not answering the questionnaire at all.

Is there anything that the far-right won’t blow out of proportion?

Their argument is that this year’s Census is unconstitutional because it is too far reaching and invades personal space. The reality is that the question of race, which the far-right is screaming is unconstitutional, has been a part of the Census since the 1790 form under George Washington. Of what, exactly, are they afraid?

Arguing that the question is out of the norm makes no sense. There have not been any major changes to this year’s form. In fact, it takes an act of Congress (literally) to change the questions.

To suggest that the race question or others make this year’s Census unconstitutional is absurd. It’s another Tea Bagger attempt to stress out the Fox News viewership and paint Obama as an awful, Kenyan socialist.

According to an article from the Houston Chronicle, early Census returns show conservatives have been measurably less likely than liberals to return their Census forms.

Many on the left have celebrated the far-right’s movement to ignore the Census, saying that the Conservative movement will be underrepresented on the federal level, thus boosting a more liberal representation in the final report.

Hoping that those with whom we disagree politically don’t get counted when it comes to federal funding is just as ridiculous as endorsing the boycott of the Census. If everyone isn’t counted, congressional representation is incorrectly correlated and funding for schools and public works projects could be under-calculated.

As far as the LGBT representation on the Census goes, the far-right is concerned about campaigns to represent our community. Members of the transgender community are encouraged to check their “true” gender and same-sex couples are saying they are married, even though the country doesn’t recognize same-sex marriages. The numbers will no-doubt show how many members of our community truly are American citizens—and religious conservatives are freaking out.

That’s a good thing.

While the Census does not specifically address LGBT citizens, it does take a marked step forward. For the first time in history, the United States will see just how common LGBT relationships are in communities in every state of the country—and hopefully lawmakers will finally recognize an underrepresented portion of their districts.