Last month, I joined
elected officials and advocates in calling
on the Obama administration to recognize same-sex couples in the 2010 Census
and include LGBT Americans in other federal surveys. Since then, we have taken
our appeal to the Commerce Department, which oversees the Census Bureau. Below
is an excerpt from the letter sent yesterday to newly confirmed Commerce
Secretary Gary Locke, which I have signed, along with City Council Speaker Quinn
and several other councilmembers:
“An accurate count of
married same-sex couples is necessary to estimate the tax revenues that could be
generated once same-sex unions are recognized by the federal government.
Allowing old biases to produce inaccurate tax revenue projections and
misinformed public policy decisions is both unfair and detrimental to all
citizens of the United States, regardless of sexual
orientation.
Since the 2010 census
provides the data upon which federally-funded nutrition and education programs
are based, the use of incorrect population data does a significant disservice to
the citizens who rely on these programs and the taxpayers who fund
them.” Read Full Letter
In the past week we have
witnessed remarkable progress in the advancement of marriage rights for same-sex
couples in the United States: on Friday an Iowa court struck
down a state law banning same-sex marriage; and just yesterday, the Vermont legislature legalized
gay marriage, while the Washington DC
city council voted to honor gay marriages performed in other states. I can only
hope that this momentum will continue. The New York State legislature should
follow Vermont’s lead in choosing equal rights over discrimination—not at the
behest of a court, but because it is the right thing to
do.
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