PRESS RELEASE – OurFamiliesCount.org Officially Launches: LGBT Community Bilingual Public Education Campaign for Accurate 2010 U.S. Census

November 10, 2009 Washington DC – Many leaders and advocates among America’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community unite today in the launch of Our Families Count (www.ourfamiliescount.org) — a new voluntary public education initiative promoting LGBT visibility and participation in next year’s U.S. Census.

The new 2010 Census education project is a truly collaborative and unique strategy to unite disparate populations across the entire LGBT spectrum.  The outreach effort is designed to educate all about the importance of responding to the once-a-decade Census.

The new website is found at www.ourfamiliescount.org and will be formally launched today in both English and in Spanish language versions.

In alphabetical order, the community, business and academic leadership groups to date that have endorsed the project and its education mission include:

Community Leaders:

•    Bay Area Municipal Elections Committee (BAYMEC)
•    American Institute of Bisexuality
•    Bialogue
•    The Bilerico Project
•    BiNet USA
•    Bisexual Resource Center
•    California Faith for Equality
•    Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere (COLAGE)
•    Delaware Valley Legacy Fund
•    Equality Across America
•    Equality California
•    Equality Federation
•    Family Equality Council
•    Freedom to Marry
•    Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
•    The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada
•    Georgia Equality
•    HONOR PAC
•    Human Rights Campaign
•    International Federation of Black Prides, Inc.
•    LA Bi Center
•    Lambda Legal
•    MEGA Family Project
•    Mi Familia Vota
•    National Black Justice Coalition
•    National Center for Lesbian Rights
•    National Center for Transgender Equality
•    National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
•    National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance
•    National Sexuality Resource Center
•    New York Area Bisexual Network (NYABN)
•    One Iowa
•    Palm Beach County (Fla.) Human Rights Council
•    PFLAG National
•    Safe Schools Coalition
•    Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE)
•    Transgender American Veterans Association
•    Unid@s
•    Youth Pride

Business Leaders

•    Dancenow Productions, Inc.
•    Echelon Magazine
•    MZM Farm, LLP
•    Renna Communications
•    Savvy Navigator Tours LLC
•    Savvyplanners.com
•    Witeck-Combs Communications, Inc.

Academic Leaders

•    National Sexuality Resource Center, San Francisco State University
•    The Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law

Why LGBT Communities and Leaders Care about the 2010 Census

Expert demographer and Williams Institute Research Fellow Dr. Gary Gates described why the 2010 Census matters to the LGBT community especially, “Reliable information on LGBT people is hard to come by and the need for accurate knowledge is real.  Census statistics guide many key government decisions.  For LGBT citizens especially, statewide organizations and local community centers need information for planning services, while advocacy groups need to know more about the LGBT population as they lobby for resources.”

Gates also noted that, “Americans have many misconceptions about the LGBT community that Census data have allowed us to correct.  For example, among those in same-sex couples: one in six lives in a rural area, one in four is a person of color, one in five is raising children (two in five among people of color). Although the 2010 Census does not include questions on sexual orientation or gender identity, the Census count of same-sex partners and their families provides vital information for and about the LGBT community.”

It also is important to emphasize that Census information is never shared with other U.S. government agencies for the purpose of law enforcement or compliance with immigration laws.  The Census is used only and confidentially to find out more about all American households and the U.S. population, and is never used to violate any person’s privacy. The Our Families Count campaign also takes no position on specific policy issues or questions.

For additional information generally on the 2010 Census: visit www.census.gov

Editors Note: Please visit the OurFamiliesCount.org website for more information on the initiative, for Frequently Asked Questions about the 2010 Census, as well as for additional, expert media contacts that may help identify diverse LGBT couples and households willing to take part in press interviews.

Campaign Media Contact:
media@ourfamiliescount.org
Bob Witeck
202-887-0500 ext. 19

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