In March, I posted about a report from the U.S. Census bureau that same-sex couples would be required to present themselves as "unmarried partners" on 2010 Census forms. U.S. Census spokeswoman Cynthia Endo said at the time, using damaging language as further insult: "This is all about the numbers. This is not about lifestyle or anything else."
In a shift, it appears the Obama administration is now looking for a way to have same-sex couples counted:
"The administration has directed the Census Bureau to determine changes
needed in tabulation software to allow for same-sex marriage data to be
released early in 2011 with other detailed demographic information from
the decennial count. The bureau historically hasn't released same-sex
marriage data…White House spokesman Ben LaBolt said 'the administration continues to
make progress on the president's longstanding commitment to promoting
equality for [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] Americans.' The Census Bureau has long collected data on same-sex marriages when
people chose to report it. White House officials said the previous
administration interpreted the federal Defense of Marriage Act as
prohibiting the release of the data. The Obama administration has
abandoned that interpretation."
