SEATTLE — The U.S. Census provides important information on communities, but it won't be counting the number of LGBTQ people in 2020 - and that's a problem, according to a new report.
The Census Bureau will count same-sex marriages, as it has in the past. But the Bureau rescinded a question that would have asked people about their sexual orientation and gender identity.
Matthew Caruchet, author of the Economic Opportunity Institute report, said the question could have provided important information on an area with little research: the LGBT pay gap. He compared this issue to the women's pay gap, which can draw on decades of census data.
"When we don't have an accurate count of LGBT people or what their situation is, we can't address the problems that face that community,” Caruchet said. “And it's easy to say that problems don't exist, because there's no data."
Caruchet noted that data on the number of homeless transgender youth, for instance, could help direct the allocation of resources such as housing. He added that information gleaned only from the number of same-sex marriages is misleading, as it won't include unmarried couples and people who are bisexual.
Data in the report from Seattle in 2016 provides a snapshot of the LGBT pay gap. Men in same-sex marriages made a median salary of about $78,000, while men in opposite-sex marriages made about $96,000. Women in same-sex marriages made slightly more than those in opposite-sex marriages, about $71,000 compared to $70,000.
Caruchet said the gap in some cases is a result of the professions people choose - and said stereotyping plays a big role in this discrepancy.
"When girls are told at a young age that they're not good at math and science, that has a profound effect on them throughout their lives,” he said. “And I think it's also true that the messages that we send young LGBT people carry through the rest of their lives as well, and that is reflected in this data."
Despite this gap, the research found gay and lesbian households earn more than straight households. Caruchet said this most likely is because gay and lesbian couples work more. In Seattle, 57 percent of opposite-sex married couples have both spouses working. Both people work in 71 percent of male same-sex couples; and for women, it's 74 percent.
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An Arizona LGBTQ+ group has established a partnership with Waymo, the autonomous-driving tech company, to provide what it said will be a safer transportation option.
Angela Hughey, president of the group One Community, said through the partnership, Waymo is providing what she described as "acceptability through innovation."
Hughey explained a person never truly knows what experience awaits them when they hail a traditional ride-share service, and it comes with a sense of vulnerability. She stressed Waymo and One Community have gone the extra mile to eliminate the worry.
"What I really think is so cool about Waymo and the innovation of autonomous driving, is that Waymo doesn't discriminate, right?" Hughey pointed out. "It is about providing safety and an assuredness to every passenger that gets into the car."
Hughey called it a valuable and necessary innovation. A Gender Policy Report from the University of Minnesota found one in four members of the LGBTQ+ community is concerned about safety on public transportation. Waymo currently provides service in the metro Phoenix area, downtown Phoenix and Sky Harbor International Airport.
Hughey added Waymo is just one of 3,500 businesses to have signed One Community's Unity Pledge, which turns 10 years old next month. It is a pledge to advance workplace equality, equal treatment in housing and public accommodations for LGBTQ+ individuals and their allies.
"One of the first things that Waymo did when we started our partnership, is that they signed the Unity Pledge," Hughey noted. "So, that was actionable. They are absolutely supportive of LGBTQ inclusivity in this great state and nation, and taking the United Pledge was very demonstrative on their part."
Hughey added feeling safe and welcome in ride-sharing services is something which should matter to all Arizonans.
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Two Republican Arizona state senators have kicked off the new legislative session wanting to limit and restrict drag shows.
State Sen. Anthony Kern, R-Glendale, filed two separate bills: one banning drag shows during certain hours - targeted primarily at eliminating drag brunches - and the other would prohibit drag performances from occurring on public property or any location where a minor could see the show.
State Sen. John Kavanagh's - R-Fountain Hills - bill bans the use of state funds for drag shows targeting minors.
Staff Attorney with Lambda Legal Kell Olson said drag performances are important because they communicate a message of diversity, inclusivity and celebration.
"They show people they are not alone," said Olson. "There are very important purposes for drag shows. These laws do not do what legislators should be doing if they really are concerned about certain content that is inappropriate, they should be focused on that."
For Olson, these bills are what he calls "the latest chapter in a series of laws attempting to shame and demonize LGBTQ-plus people."
Olson said he does expect pushback, but the bills may advance as Republicans hold majorities in the Arizona Senate and House. However, newly elected Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs would be likely to veto the bills.
The senate sponsors have said drag shows' sexually explicit nature is concerning, especially for minors.
Olson said one of the biggest issues he sees with the bills is the aim to define what drag is.
He said the broad definitions present in the legislation could target many transgender and non-conforming individuals executing a performance of any type which he says presents a practical problem.
Olson said legal complications could also follow since the laws seek to suppress ideals of the First Amendment and free expression.
"The fact that these laws have a lot of problems that they trigger because they seek to suppress people's performance and expression based on a particular viewpoint," said Olson. "That is the kind of thing our Constitution doesn't stand for."
Olson said Kavanagh's bill not only targets state funds for the use of drag shows, but also targets funding for any entity that has or operates a drag show.
He said this means a possible youth center that allows drag performances, but receives state funding, could also be cut off.
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Equality New Mexico will advocate for new LGBTQ protections during this year's legislative session as it celebrates 30 years as a leading advocacy organization.
Kat Sanchez, chair of the board of directors for Equality New Mexico Foundation, said efforts to remove barriers that prevent gay and transgender people from thriving in life has always been the mission. She said New Mexico's long legacy of tolerance is connected to the group's success in advancing human rights for all.
"New Mexico values are for respecting and loving our neighbors and not getting involved in what kind of personal relationships they have, or at least respecting the kind of personal relationships individuals have," Sanchez said.
This year's proposed legislative policy changes include requiring affirmative consent education for all students and giving 16-year-olds the right to vote in state, local and school-board elections as well as updating the state's Human Rights Act.
Victor Romero-Hernandez, the organization's advocacy associate, had not been born yet when Equality New Mexico was founded. As a 22-year old, he finds it disheartening to watch the ongoing discrimination and attacks on members of the LGBTQ community nationwide.
"Legislation that is very harmful is being introduced at all levels of government, and so, you win and then all of a sudden there's somebody else trying to derail what you've been working toward," he said.
The legalization of same-sex marriage by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2015 was a milestone for the LGBTQ community, but Sanchez said there is always more work to do, especially in communities beyond Santa Fe and Albuquerque.
"Equality New Mexico has seen beyond just the headline grabbers and doing the good work of what it means across the board including wages, voting rights - all of those things," Sanchez said.
Albuquerque held its first "Pride" march in the summer of 1976, seven years after the Stonewall Riots in New York's Greenwich Village that launched Gay Pride marches across the U.S.
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