PETITION CLOSED

  • The time period for signing this petition has ended.
Count All LGBT People on the 2020 Census
  1. Signatures
    391 out of 500
    Petitioning
    1. U.S. Secretary of Commerce (Gary Locke)
  2. Created By
    Adam Amel Rogers
    Whittier, CA
About this Petition Petition Letter

The upcoming 2010 Census will officially report the number of same-sex couples who self-identify as married or "unmarried partners," which will provide some official information about gay and lesbian couples, but LGBT people as a whole will continue to be severely underrepresented, as there is no mechanism in the Census for counting single LGBT.

Though 2020 seems far away, it is imperative that we act now and put pressure on the Commerce Department and the Census Bureau to begin the process of building LGBT-inclusive questions for the 2020 Census.

Recent Signatures

Commerce Secretary Gary Locke

Dear Secretary Locke,

I appreciate the efforts of the U.S. Census Bureau to make sure data collected on gay and lesbian couples identifying as married or "unmarried partners" is officially reported in the 2010 Census. While this is an important step, it remains unfortunate that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people continue to be plagued by invisibility in the Census.

As you are well aware, Census data is integral to the acquisition of resources, so the fact that gay people are not officially counted has important consequences.

I call upon you to begin fixing this inequity today. I understand that adding a question to the Census is a labor and time intensive process, which is why it is imperative that the U.S. Census Bureau begin figuring out the most statistically accurate way of adding questions that properly count LGBT people for the 2020 Census.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter. I look forward to hearing how the U.S. Census Bureau plans to include LGBT people in the 2020 Census.

[Your name]

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