Census Won't Report Gay Marriage

(AP)  Same-sex marriage is legal in two states, but not a single one will show up in the 2010 census.

The Census Bureau says the federal Defense of Marriage Act bars the agency from recognizing gay marriages in the nation's 10-year count, even though the marriages are legal in Massachusetts and California.

The agency's director, Steven Murdock, said in an interview Thursday that the 1996 federal law "has that effect, in terms of being a federal agency. We are restricted by it."

The Census Bureau does not ask people about their sexual orientation, but it does ask about their relationships to the head of the household. Many gay couples are listed in census figures as unmarried, same-sex partners, though it is an imperfect tally of all gay couples.

Murdock said the bureau will strive to count same-sex couples in the 2010 census, just as it has in the past. But those people who say they are married will be reclassified as unmarried, same-sex partners.

Same-sex couples with no children will not be classified as families, according the bureau's policy. Those with children who are related to the head of the household will be classified as families.

Gay rights advocates complained that the Census Bureau is depriving them of a hard-fought legal recognition.

"To completely whitewash us out of existence is hurtful, discriminatory and shameful," said Molly McKay of Marriage Equality USA, a California-based group that advocates for same-sex marriage. "It's like the federal government is trying to say that we don't exist."

McKay said an accurate count of same-sex married couples would help policymakers determine the costs of providing benefits.

McKay, 38, said she plans to marry her partner of 12 years on Sept. 1, now that they are legally able to marry in California. She said they consider themselves "an old married couple," even if the government doesn't.

"This is a very sweet moment in our life. It really is an absolutely joyous time," McKay said. "The notion that the federal government is going to come in and erase our existence is un-American."

The Census Bureau is required by the Constitution to conduct a comprehensive count of the nation's residents every 10 years. Every question is either mandated by federal law or used to administer a federal program, Murdock said.

Same-sex marriage was not an issue in the 2000 census because it wasn't legal in any state. The Census Bureau's policy on same-sex marriages was first reported in the San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News.

The bureau relies almost entirely on people's responses to classify them by race, ethnicity, age and income. But not marital status - at least not in 2010.

"It really should be what you say you are, not what I perceive you to be," Murdock said. But, the agency director added, "We have some limitations. This particular act limits us in regards to this issue."

[creswell33]

I don''t know what my rights are because they keep changing so fast, but I''m sure that at least 1 of my rights that hasn''t disappeared yet has been violated by someone. As soon as I figure out who it was, I''m going to sue. Or start/join an annual parade. Right after I clean out my garage and find my walker.

[whiskyrocker]

Nancy_Naive
-----------
Your just jealous because you were born without one.

[blackyowe]

raflin1 I am not Black, Hon. Black Yowe means Black Sheep or Black Ewe as in "you are the black sheep in the family", hon.

[galewis1234-1]

Reading some of the arguments here I see the same one used down through the ages for everything, like the world is flat, the earth is the center of the universe, blacks are inferior to wites, blacks should die for thinking they are the same as whites. Whites should always marry their own kind. And now, that Muslems shall rule the world. or that Christianity should be the lAST RELIGION OR THAT THE MUSLEMS SHOULD BE. People have died for every one of these misconceptions. And many more still will, because as Mr. Gump said, Stupid is as stupid dose. George Lewis

[galewis1234-1]

They may not except it in the sence that it will not be entered into the married box, but when they ask about the children, who the mother and father is, or are they living at the same address. It will show up in the Cences If the right questions are asked.

[libsluv2spit]

what kind of legal recognition can be attained with marriage that you cant get from a legal union?

[blackshaft-2009]

Obama Hussein was wrong about the surge? If we went the direction he wanted a lot more of American lives would have been lost!
Michelle is wrong to want Sodomites to be recognized as couples? Yeah then they can adopt children? Did you ever spend two nights with two sodomites?
Obama Hussein is wrong on wanting the tax payer to pay for the abortion executions? 5000 babies are executed through abortion a day!

[hungry1968]

You were not born G*A*Y and just because something is legal does not mean anything at all. You are not like a Black person or a Jew. It''''s stupid lame argument with no scientific base or a basis in reality except in the minds or self absorbed little fruits like you.

Posted by BlackYowe at 12:54 AM : Jul 19, 2008





EVEN MORE jokes and hilarity!!!

First it claims that you are "not born G*A*Y", (how he knows is anyone''s guess)!!

Then in the next breath, he claims "scientific base or a basis in reality" as his "proof"!!

Does "scientific base or a basis in reality" take into consideration attraction, affection, desire, passion, or any of the other qualities that make your heart jump in your chest?

And without "having been there" (I''m assuming you HAVEN''T tried it), how can you speak on the subject at all - scientifically, physically, or emotionally?

What a joke!! A bigoted redneck, that probably just slept with his sister, is telling someone else what they "scientifically feel"!!!

[blackyowe]

raflin you obviously do care and you were not born G*A*Y. Lifestyle is not the same thing as race. You like playing the victim. These posts here are so lame that call any one against same *** marriage bigots. It''s so stupid. Marriage came about to protect women and children and it was about reproduction. Mostly marriage is and always has been a religious act. It''s only because our society has become twisted and far removed from the natural world that this silly nonsense is even an issue. A small number of oddballs want this so they can feel legitimate and draw attention to themselves. Same thing with pushing and pushing to get Christian Churches to except them. G*A*Y people have every right the rest of us do to marry the person of the opposite *** of their own choosing. I am so sick of all this *** I could puke. It''s fringe culture forcing everyone else to kneel to to their god of self centered rubbish. The emperor has no farkin cloths!

[blackyowe]

hungry1969, yes indeed you are Hilarious!! I can wish with all my might I was an oak tree but that would nopt make me an oak tree. You can wish with all your might you could wed another man and its just as impossible. That make you more pathetic than Hilarious.