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FOUNDING MEMBER
P E R S P E C T I V E : G u e s t E d i t o r i a l
This Year, Make Pride Really Count
Make your voice heard this Pride Season in the 2020 Census.
BY AMIT SINGH BAGGA
The nationwide outcry and
storming of the streets in
response to the murders of
George Floyd and Breonna
Taylor — in addition to Dominique
Rem’mie Fells, Tony McDade, and
Riah Milton — are an important reminder
of what Pride is all about: the
fi ght against police brutality; the basic
freedoms that should be accorded
to us by virtue of being human; the
strength of a collective community
empowered; and, of course, visibility.
At its core, Pride is about being able
to be seen and be heard for who we
are — and for that to matter — which
is why we must all collectively ensure
we are counted in the 2020 Census.
The Census is a count of every
person in the United States, regardless
of race, ethnicity, immigration
status, housing situation, or sexual
orientation (we’ll get to gender identity
in a second), and comes around
only once every 10 years. It is the
foundation upon which our entire
system is built, for it determines how
the federal government spends nearly
$1.5 trillion every year for education,
healthcare, housing, transportation,
and more, in addition to determining
the number of seats each state in has
in Congress, and how every single
neighborhood across the country is
represented locally and at the state
level.
The Census also provides important
DONNA ACETO
data that governments use to
make critical decisions every day,
like how many vaccines to order, how
much affordable housing is needed,
and how to provide healthcare services
to those in need. In the coming
years, we’re going to need all the help
we can possibly get to recover from the
multi-layered health, economic, and
political crisis wrought by COVID-19,
and funding for everything from HIV
prevention programs to job training
to youth programs are all on the line
with the Census.
New York City has been losing out
on millions over the last 10 years because
only 62 percent of New Yorkers
self-responded to the 2010 Census,
and we could lose up to two congressional
seats following the 2020 Census
if we don’t have a complete and
accurate count. Simply put — that
means decisions about us could easily
be made without us, and we’ve
fought too hard for too long to let that
happen.
Despite its enormous signifi cance
to our everyday lives, there is often
concern or confusion about the Census.
Many New Yorkers are understandably
wary of providing information
to the federal government, and
many others will fi nd that the binary
gender options on the Census are oppressive
and marginalizing.
Further still, the protracted conversation
around the Trump administration’s
ill-fated attempt to add a
citizenship question to the Census
has struck fear in the hearts of many
immigrants, despite New York City’s
successful fi ght to have the question
thrown off the Census.
It’s important here to get some facts,
well, straight (not often you’d hear
us say getting something straight is
what we need).
First — the Census is just 10
simple questions; they can be easily
completed in just a few minutes online
or over the phone. By law, your
answers are completely confi dential.
The Census Bureau cannot share
them with anyone — not ICE, not the
police, not any government agency at
all; not even your landlord (the penalty
for breaking this law is $250,000
in fi nes and fi ve years in prison; no
wonder it hasn’t been broken).
In addition, the 2020 Census is the
fi rst time same-sex couples, married
or unmarried, with or without children,
can be represented in the form.
This will be the fi rst true, nationwide
accounting of same-sex couples in
our history. It also doesn’t matter
whether you rent or you own; whether
you’re on the lease or not; whether
you’re documented or undocumented
— the Census counts you.
And on the gender question — we
fi rmly and unequivocally believe that
the Census form’s lack of an ability to
proclaim one’s gender outside of the
traditional binary is shameful disservice
to LGBTQ+ Americans everywhere,
and we must collectively fi ght
to ensure the 2030 Census truly allows
for a full representation of who
we are. This said, it is worth noting
that this question can be entirely
skipped. Whether you answer either
gender or neither gender, your form
will still be accepted and you will still
be counted.
Lastly — if you’re a LGBTQ+ New
Yorker who also is Black or Brown —
remember that the Census has undercounted
our communities for decades,
and if we truly want to claim
the funding and representation that
are rightfully ours, it is critical that
we are counted.
This year, we don’t need a party to
make Pride count. We can make sure
to be counted in the Census. Go to
my2020census.gov or call 844-330-
2020 today.
Amit Singh Bagga is deputy director,
NYC Census.
June 25- July 15, 2 52 020 | GayCityNews.com
/GayCityNews.com
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