The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force played a key role in getting the Census Bureau to report the number of married same-sex couples, which has never been done before and reverses an earlier decision made under the Bush administration. The Task Force pressed for a reversal of the discriminatory policy in meetings that started in late 2008 with the Obama transition team, continuing later with officials from the White House, Census Bureau and Commerce Department.
"This is a tremendous victory for our community, which stood up and refused to allow same-sex marriages, our families and children to be rendered invisible in the picture of our country provided through the census," said Rea Carey, executive director of National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
"Finally, and fairly, married same-sex couples will be accurately reported by the US Census Bureau. This is an important step forward, and one we hope signals the federal government's burgeoning commitment to including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in data and reporting on a broad spectrum of critical matters, such as those related to our community's health, economic issues, safety and life circumstances," Carey said in a statement.
