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The HGLBTPC is the South’s Oldest Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Civil Rights Organization. Founded in 1975, the Houston GLBT Political Caucus is dedicated to eliminating prejudice, violence, and injustice against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people through education, activism, and political advocacy.
     theCaucus.org

WISH LIST

• Office Chairs
• Microwave Oven
• Folding Tables
• Paper Folding Machine
• 19" or larger LCD Computer Screens
• Overhead Projector
• Copy Paper

Our Community Counts

Census forms should be arriving in the mail the week of March 15, and the Caucus wants to make sure the GLBT community counts. Having an accurate, thorough count is important to our community in so many ways. It's important to our area: census numbers determine our political representation and how much federal funding we receive.

It's also important to GLBT community, specifically. Census numbers can shatter myths that prevail about us. For instance, current Census data disproves the idea that our community is entirely urban (1 in 6 same-sex couples live in rural areas), that we are all white (1 in 4 same-sex couples are non-white) or that we don't raise children (1 in 5 same-sex couples raise children, and nearly a quarter million children are being raised by more than 100,000 same-sex couples).

For the first time, the U.S. Census Bureau will be recognizing same-sex marriages - whether or not they are legally recognized. Make sure our community counts this decade!

How To Identify as GLBT on the Census Form

On the Census form, the person filling out the form will be asked her or his relation to each person living in the household. Until 1990, there was no way for GLBT people to identify same-sex partners at all. However, the creation of an "Unmarried Partner" category, meant to capture heterosexual unmarried partners, gave same-sex couples a way to identify themselves.

This year, for the first time, same-sex married couples may identify as such. It doesn't matter whether you hold a legally valid marriage certificate or not - it just matters that you consider yourself married. If you describe yourself as married, identify your partner as a "husband or wife."

Census forms are kept confidential for more than 70 years, so if you are in circumstances where you may be concerned about discrimination at work or other places, don't worry about that here.

So, make sure you properly identify on the Census form:

Don't mark your partner as your roommate or "other nonrelative" - mark her or him as your "Unmarried Partner," or as your spouse. And make sure to mail your Census form in!

Take It a Step Further

Unfortunately, identifying as a same-sex couple is the only way for GLBT people to be visible on the form itself. There is no question giving people an opportunity to state their sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, so unless you live with your same-sex partner, there's no way to say you are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. Visibility is key to securing the rights we deserve, but adding the question takes federal action.

We want that to change for the next Census. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is promoting that we "Queer the Census" by adding a sticker to the envelope of the Census form when we mail it in, and by adding our names to their petition. The sticker will not be counted by the Census Bureau, but will help our community become more visible and help in efforts to lobby Congress to change the Census for 2020. Click here to get your sticker and to sign the petition demanding visibility for the GLBT community in the next Census.

Check out Our Families Count for more information on the GLBT community and the U.S. Census.