Publisher's Note: I wrote and published the following article in our very first issue, October 2009. This was right around the time the news about the Obama Administration's agreement to release census data on same-sex couples hit the airwaves. While researching a topic for my first article I was struck by the potential impact this step could have on our power to affect change. I believe our mass visibility could move mountains here in the U.S. and around the world. The same reason we're looking to profile 10,000 Couples from around the world in our I Am the Face of Marriage Equality Campaign.

So, I am reprinting the Same Sex Couples Count article again now because its time. This month, the forms will be distributed and I want us to be counted. It is a lot like I felt with Sally and I were "legally" married in California. Being official matters. I want to do my part to support the efforts of the Our Families Count Project for the same reasons. I encourage you to do the same.

Same Sex Couples Count

Reprinted and slightly updated.

Gary Gates, a demographer at The Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law and adviser to the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that 100,000 same sex marriage licenses were issued in the four states where same sex marriage was legal during 2008. According to the Census Bureau's 2008 survey data, released on September 21st, 149,956 or more than a quarter of an estimated 564,743 same sex couples reported being in marriage relationships. This is a difference of nearly 50% over the estimated number of licenses issued. Analysts suggest the disparities are a reflection of same-sex couples in committed relationships who would get married if they could in their states. Only Massachusetts, Iowa, Vermont and Connecticut issue marriage licenses to same sex couples.

In 2007, 341,000 out of 753,618 total same-sex couples reported being in a marriage relationship in the US, even though only about 11,000 marriage licenses had been issued. The numbers were even higher for 2005 and 2006; about 390,000 each year reported being in a same-sex marriage out of nearly 780,000 reported gay couples. Martin O'Connell, the Census Bureau's chief of the fertility and family statistics branch, attributed the higher numbers in previous years to a confusing survey layout and formatting errors that he claims are now resolved. Until August of this year, the Census Bureau was prohibited from releasing any of the raw data it had collected regarding same sex couples.

Same sex couples have historically been unrecognized by any official entity. Self-reporting has been the sole method of counting this demographic and the decision to self-report has not been an easy one for many gay and lesbians living in America. The gay and lesbian community has been subject to significant discrimination and threats of personal and professional harm because of sexual orientation. The U.S. Department of Justice reported that 1,617 offenses related to sexual orientation bias occurred in 2008, including 33 anti-heterosexual incidents. In 2007, the number was 1,266. Laws against discrimination based upon sexual orientation are not uniform around the country. There is very little data tracking discrimination in employment and housing due to sexual orientation. Personal family and relationship losses are purely anecdotal. This precarious status has resulted in a population historically unwilling or unable to risk identifying themselves as a same sex couple in personal, professional or official settings. As the visibility of same sex couples increase, these risks are likely to diminish. There is safety in numbers, as the saying goes and in this respect, establishing a dependable count is important.

Will the 2010 census establish an accurate baseline count? Same sex marriage is legally available in some states from which a count of marriage licenses provides a verifiable starting point for counting same sex marriages in the US. On the other hand, same sex unions of any description are expressly prohibited in more than 30 US states. In parts of 9 other states, some form of Civil Union or Domestic Partnerships are recognized. The federal government does not recognize same sex marriage, civil unions or domestic partnerships. After a review of the Census Bureau's 2010 Questionnaire it is not clear whether a dependable count can be established. For the question "How is this person related to Person1?", unmarried same sex couples may choose "Husband or wife", "Housemate or roommate", "Unmarried Partner"' or "Other nonrelative" to describe how they are related to "person 1". "Same sex partner" is not an option. April 1, 2010 is officially Census Day in the US.

If you are legally married but live in a state that doesn't recognize it, like I am and do, which box do you check? IWithout some sort of consensus around which box to check to ensure accurate measurement, the count for same-sex couples in 2010 will also likely be less that accurate. On the other hand, with the right to be recognized as legally married only available to same-sex couples in certain areas of the country and recognized in certain others such disparities are unavoidable. Of course, marriage equality would fix that.

By Delena Wilkerson

Delena is the publisher and editor of 10,000 Couples magazine. Over the past 25 years Delena has published many articles, edited a national newsletter, and been both author and editor of several how-to books on financial management for nonprofits.  Some of these experiences might even help with this latest venture.  For certain, her experiences at the helm of a local nonprofit organization taught her how to get the job done with minimal resources.  She is a graduate of Livingstone College in North Carolina and the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration.  Delena currently lives in Oak Park, IL with her spouse and son, cat and koi.