ADVOCACY
LGBTQ Groups Join Forces to “Queer the Census”
Queer folks counted in household partnerships, but engaging bolsters social programs
BY MATT TRACY
The National LGBTQ Task Force,
in partnership with other groups,
is utilizing webinars, online offi
ce hours, and volunteers to raise
awareness about the 2020 Census as part of a
broader effort aimed at making sure queer folks
are counted in the once-a-decade nationwide
survey.
The Task Force has consolidated that comprehensive
effort at queerthecensus.org, a hub
to kick off the campaign to include queer folks
in the Census. The campaign is intersectional,
featuring groups representing different demographics.
PFLAG, the National Queer Asian Pacifi
c Islander Alliance, the National Black Justice
Coalition, and the Movement Advancement
Project are partnering with the Task Force.
Queer groups and organizations, ranging
from the LGBT Community Center in Manhattan
— which is promoting a link on its website
to help direct users to fi ll out the Census — to
the Sacramento LGBT Center in California,
have also helped spread the word.
On March 27, the fi rst day of the Task Force’s
mobilization campaign, the National LGBTQ
Census Coalition gathered for a Twitter town
hall focused on making sure Black LGBTQ
people are counted.
While the 2020 Census will generate some
identifying data about queer Americans, that
information will be limited. The Census previously
identifi ed the relationship between
couples in households as “husband and wife”
or “unmarried partner,” but that has been expanded
to include “same-sex husband/ wife/
spouse,” “same-sex unmarried partner,” “opposite
sex husband/ wife/ spouse,” and “oppositesex
unmarried partner.”
Notably, that omits LGBTQ individuals who
are single or who do not live with their signifi -
cant other, as well as those who cohabit with an
different-sex partner but who identify as queer,
bisexual, transgender, or non-binary, among
other categories.
Still, organizers want to count as many queer
folks as they can — and there are additional
reasons why the entire community should aim
to be counted. It can improve accuracy of the
population data to help to bolster the allocation
of resources to their geographic communities
through programs like Medicaid, public
housing, and food stamps and, as signifi cantly,
it can help LGBTQ advocates demonstrate to
legislators the size of the community for whose
needs they are seeking funding.
“The Census helps LGBTQ communities access
billions in federal funding for social programs,
helps us build political power, and helps
us enforce civil rights protections,” Meghan
Maury, policy director at the National LGBTQ
Task Force, said in a written statement.
The campaign clearly faces challenges due to
shutdowns stemming from the coronavirus crisis,
and organizers have been forced to get creative
in their efforts to spread awareness. The
Census Bureau has postponed the deadline by
two weeks due to the pandemic.
The Task Force noted that the LGBTQ community
is disproportionately represented in
cateogries the Census Bureau has historically
struggled to reach, including those who experience
poverty or homelessness in addition to racial
minorities and undocumented immigrants.
The Task Force pointed to specifi c data on this
score: 40 percent of young people facing homelessness
identify as LGBTQ, non-white racial
and ethnic groups are more likely to identify as
LGBTQ, and queer immigrants are more likely
to be undocumented.
Iris House Steps Up Meals Distribution Effort
West Harlem HIV agency picking up the slack during the COVID-19 crisis
BY PAUL SCHINDLER
Iris House, which for 28 years has been
providing HIV-related services to women,
families, and other underserved communities,
has stepped up its lunch distribution
program in response to the shuttering of
other social service agencies during the coronavirus
crisis.
On a typical weekday, the group serves between
40 and 50 lunches, according to its executive
director, Ingrid Floyd. On Tuesday, April
1, 62 people turned out at Iris House, located
on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh
Avenue) between West 137th and 138th Streets
in West Harlem, to pick up carry-out lunches.
“My team are always on the front lines,”
said Floyd. “And during this pandemic, without
a single complaint among them, they are
insisting on coming to the offi ce daily to serve
our clients. They have the clearest and truest
understanding of what it means to be a pubic
health organization. They know that this is a
time when our clients and community need us
most.”
Iris House’s normal meals program involves
distribution of 95 pantry packages of 12 meals
on Thursdays and lunch served from Tuesday
to Friday.
“I am grateful to have a staff of such committed
and passionate warriors. I applaud them,”
said Floyd.
PHOTO INGRID FLOYD
Iris House clients observed six-foot social distancing as they picked
up lunch in West Harlem this week.
GayCityNews.com | April 9 - April 22, 2020 17
/queerthecensus.org
/GayCityNews.com
