Census Urges Gay Couples To Choose ‘Husband’, ‘Wife’
Gay couples are being urged to fill out their 2010 Census applications and checking off the spaces marked “husband” or ” wife.”
According to the Associated Press, with strong backing from the Census Bureau, gay-rights activists are urging maximum participation by their community in the first U.S. census that will tally same-sex couples who say they are married — even those without a marriage license.
The move has drawn fire from conservatives, who complain that it’s another step toward redefining marriage.
For the first time, the bureau has deployed a team of professional field workers — about two-dozen strong — to reach out to gays and lesbians. On Monday, the bureau unveiled its first public-service videos encouraging gay Americans to mail in their census forms.
“We have to reach out and engage this part of the population. Anything less than that is a failure,” said Tim Olson, a Census Bureau assistant division chief helping to oversee the campaign.
Only the District of Columbia and five states — Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont and Iowa — have legalized gay marriages, starting with Massachusetts in 2004. But the Census Bureau says same-sex couples in any state who consider themselves spouses should feel free to check the “husband” or “wife” boxes on the census form, rather than “unmarried partner.”
The bureau’s willingness to count gay marriages — despite a federal law that denies legal recognition to any of them — has been hailed as a historic milestone by gay-rights leaders.
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