NYC Officials want gay marriages counted in census

[ruggerson]

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--census-gaycouples0409apr09,0,1647788.story

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the City Council speaker are urging federal census officials to include same-sex marriages in the 2010 count, an issue that has taken on greater significance in recent weeks as more gay couples are being allowed to marry.

The federal law banning gay marriage bars the agency from counting same-sex marriages, the Census Bureau says, even though they are legal in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and, most recently, Vermont and Iowa.

Last summer, census officials announced that legally married same-sex couples would be reported as unmarried, same-sex partners.

In the April 7 letter to Gary Locke, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, which oversees the Census Bureau, Bloomberg and Christine Quinn wrote that counting same-sex marriages is crucial for state and local officials who use census data to plan for programs and social services.

(more)

[mitchtv]

1. I am torn

should I just tell them what is legally required? If I tell the truth, they will change it, I have a "legal" Calif. ( who knows about next month) If not I will be very angfy, and not prone to cooperate)

[Meeker Morgan]

2. I don't.

The purpose of the census is to determine congressional representation.

Any information not required for that should not be collected. Not race, not sex, not marriage, nor any other nosy question.

[IntravenousDemilo]

3. You believe it is the SOLE purpose?

I believe the census is useful to the public for a variety of reasons.

[Runcible Spoon]

4. Yes, I tend to agree that census information has many uses..

including using the statistical data for social programs. As with anything else, though, we should remain vigilant with what the census or any other gov't entity does with our personal information.

[Meeker Morgan]

5. It is the sole CONSTITUTIONAL purpose

The 1940 census tracked ethnic data, such as who was of Japanese ancestry. Which was very useful a few years later.

It's one thing to be gay and out, quite another to think it's a good idea for the government to have a database with names and addresses.

Do you really suppose it's safe to assume all future administrations will be gay friendly?