U.S. Census Bureau Will Not Officially Count Same-Sex Marriages in 2010

By C. Boning - Posted on July 14th, 2008

The San Jose Mercury News is reporting that the U.S. Census Bureau will not officially count same-sex marriages in 2010, the next year the census will be taken.

The Census Bureau said it will edit the responses of same-sex couples legally married in Massachusetts, California or any other state and record such couples as unmarried partners. The agency followed the same procedure in 2000.

The 1996 Defense of Marriage Act mandates that all federal agencies – including the Census Bureau – only recognize opposite-sex marriages for the purposes of enacting federal programs.

Experts on gay rights-related public policy have denounced the Census Bureau’s announcement because it skewers demographic information, which defeats the general purpose of a census.