The sticker in question

While the official Census Day (April 1) has come and gone, it’s not too late to fill one out and send it in–civic duty, people! (And you should be getting Census materials from your RA any day now, anyway.) While you’re doing that, the Columbia Queer Alliance has asked you to consider–and protest–this Census’ absence of a gender/sexual identity question.

Working with a national organization called Queer the Census, CQA has distributed a number of pink stickers with that missing question that you can fill out and affix to the back of your Census.  While CQA only has a limited number of these stickers, you can also head to the Queer the Census website to make sure your voice is heard. Below, the letter printed on the back of each sticker.

Dear Fellow Columbian,

Every 10 years, the U.S. government spends over $400 billion in order to count every resident of the United States through the Constitutionally-mandated Census. Logistically, the Census serves as the primary indicator for how federal funds are appropriated to state and municipal governments. Beyond this, however, the Census also provides extremely useful demographic data that helps all Americans understand the distribution of people throughout the country.

In the past several Censuses, there has been a movement to expand this survey’s understanding of diversity. Despite this push, LGBTQ people are still not counted by our government, and the Columbia Queer Alliance is working with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force to show the Census Bureau that this is wrong. By not counting LGBTQ people, the Census denies America a genuine reflection of its composition, and perpetuates the government’s refusal to legitimate our vibrant social group.

Will you help us show the Census Bureau that they were wrong to not include a question about sexual/gender identity, fill out this sticker, and place it on the back of your census envelope? With your help, we will flood Washington with a demand to count EVERYONE.

Thank you for your attention, and please feel free to reach out to the Queer Alliance with any questions, comments, or concerns (cqaboard@columbia.edu).

Yours,

THE COLUMBIA QUEER ALLIANCE

www.cqanyc.com