Get counted in the 2010 census

November 10, 1:20 PMPhiladelphia Gay Parenting ExaminerStephanie Haynes

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2010 Census
Courtesy of ICountPhilly.com

The 2010 Census is just around the corner, and many groups are working to make sure that LGBT-parented families are counted, including the Human Rights Campaign's web site OurFamiliesCount.org that just launched today.

Locally, the web site ICountPhilly.com was set up by the mayor's director of LGBT affairs that includes some frequently asked questions. It clarifies that there isn't a question about sexual orientation or gender identity, on the census, but our families can still be counted by how we fill out the questions about how the people in our household are related.

For example, if I fill out the form for my household, I'll put myself as a woman, my partner living here as another woman, my relationship to her as "unmarried partner" and the boys listed as being my sons.

The people who examine the data will be able to then count how many kids are being raised in homes with unmarried or married partners of the same sex. (In 2000, that number was nearly 250,000.)

Families headed by one or more transgendered parents won't be captured if they identify as one male and one female, but organizers are working to get questions about sexual orientation and gender identity included in the future.

The records are confidential. There is no record of any LGBT individual or family being persecuted over the past 20 years for taking part in the census and responding truthfully to any questions asked, so be sure to fill it out in March!