Marisa Salas In recent years, Richard Florida (Creative Cities) has highlighted the link between tolerance and a city’s ability to attract and retain the highly skilled and creative workforce that is required for high technology industries to thrive. Florida finds that the presence of a visible LGBT population is an excellent indicator of tolerance. Yet most planners and planning documents look the other way when it comes to acknowledging the presence of sexual and gender minorities within their cities. This session explores some of the critical issues surrounding planning for and with the LGBT community in the 21st century.

1. Being Counted: LGBT and the
Census
2011 APA FLORIDA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
September 9, 2011
By Marissa Salas, MSP
Planning Consultant

2. Being Counted: LGBT and the Census
FAPA 2011
The Push to be Counted

3. Being Counted: LGBT and the Census
FAPA 2011
LGBT US Population*
• ≈ 8 million lesbian, gay, or bisexual adults
• ≈ 770,000 transgender adults
• ≈ 9 million total LGBT people in the US
• Same-Sex Couples total 901,997
LGBT US Population is an estimate and not collected in the 2010 Census

4. Being Counted: LGBT and the Census
FAPA 2011
US Census Snapshot: 2010

5. Being Counted: LGBT and the Census
FAPA 2011
LGBT Florida Population*
• LGBT total ≈ 600,000
• Same-Sex Couples total 65,601
– These data are collected on the Census
– Provides the best proxy for LGBT distribution
– Indicators of a larger LGBT singles population
and an area of greater LGBT inclusion
LGBT US Population is an estimate and not collected in the 2010 Census

6. Being Counted: LGBT and the Census
FAPA 2011
Florida Census Snapshot: 2010

7. Being Counted: LGBT and the Census
FAPA 2011
Florida Census Snapshot: 2010
Top 5 Counties and Cities among those with more than 50 same-sex couples

8. Being Counted: LGBT and the Census
FAPA 2011
Florida Census Snapshot: 2010
Large Mid-size Small
Cities Cities Cities

9. Being Counted: LGBT and the Census
FAPA 2011
Counts are never perfect
• Can’t compare Same-Sex couples across these Census years
1990, 2000 and 2010
• Still an undercount of Same-Sex couples
– Confidentiality concerns
– Miscoding
– Diverse living arrangements
• Increase in LGBT population attributed to
– Aging LGBT’s coming out
– Diffusing throughout the country; 99% of US Counties;
feeling safer
– Increasing willingness to claim Same-Sex status

10. Being Counted: LGBT and the Census
FAPA 2011
Why Count FL LGBTs?
• LGBT population is an invisible group
• LGBTs have their own issues, patterns, and needs
– Especially in healthcare as individual subgroups as
lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender
• An accurate count can better access these areas and federal
dollars for the following:
– Better define leg. districts, school districts, etc >> [18%
raising kids]

11. Being Counted: LGBT and the Census
FAPA 2011
Why Count FL LGBTs?
– provide services for the elderly >> [more retiring, and coming
out, and as they age are more likely to rely on friends and others as
caregivers - not biological family]
– neighborhood improvements >> [community centers]
– public health >> [training providers for Transgender specific health
needs, LGBT health issues including substance abuse, depression,
suicide …]
– Education >> [LGBT may be more likely to continue education,
teach, etc.]
– Transportation >> [LGBT may be more likely to use alternatives]

12. Being Counted: LGBT and the Census
FAPA 2011
Why Count FL LGBTs?
• South FL political advocacy group, Save Dade, believes a count
is key to getting LGBT state representation that may lead to
passing statewide legal protections
• "The biggest impact of these numbers is simply that when
legislators say they don't have any gays where they are from,
the data proves [they] are wrong. The Florida numbers show
that same-sex couples are in every county, they are in every
town in Florida, they are in small towns.“

13. Being Counted: LGBT and the Census
FAPA 2011
Why Should FL Planners Care?
 LGBT population as a minority that needs our
advocacy
 LGBTs have their own issues, patterns, and needs
the we are responsible for addressing
 Better defined leg. districts, school districts, etc
 Providing and obtaining federal funds for
appropriate and needed services for the elderly,
neighborhoods, public health, Education, and
transportation

14. Being Counted: LGBT and the Census
FAPA 2011
Why Should FL Planners Care?
Medical Issues : Aging Population
Aging population sexually active
24 percent of total AIDS cases are among senior
citizens (2010)
43 percent of widows and 21 percent of
widowers had been diagnosed with an STD (2010)
About one in four HIV+ people in the US in 2007
was at least 50 years old. By 2015, nearly half of
HIV+ people in the US will be over 50.

15. Being Counted: LGBT and the Census
FAPA 2011
Why Should FL Planners Care?
Medical Issues : Health Care
 Florida needs to get its share of federal grants like these
 Equality California Institute Receives $444,000 Grant from California Department of Mental
Health (2009) - Reducing Disparities Project’s mission is to assess the mental wellness needs of
LGBT communities across the state of California and make even better assistance available.
 To prevent the closing of services like these
 Lyon-Martin Health Services was founded in 1979
 For lesbians who lacked access to nonjudgmental, affordable health care.
 Became a model for culturally sensitive community-based health care.
 Programs specifically designed for very low-income and uninsured women with HIV.
 Sliding-scale mental health services
 Today Serving 2000 patients -39% are people of color; 14% are transgender and 41% self-
identify as lesbian or bisexual; 84% live below 200% of the federal poverty level and 14%
are homeless. 58% of appointments address mental health needs. The remainder of our
patient population is low-income, generally uninsured, heterosexual women who
appreciate our patient-centered model of care.

16. Being Counted: LGBT and the Census
FAPA 2011
Why Should FL Planners Care?
 Cities and metro areas, that have visible/sizeable
LGBT populations along with open and tolerant
attitudes for LGBT and other groups, benefit with
 Higher income levels and housing values
 More high-tech businesses
 A modern, democratic, affluent “post
materialist” political culture
 And are a key factor in higher satisfaction and
emotional attachment to a community

17. Being Counted: LGBT and the Census
FAPA 2011
Why Should FL Planners Care?
 LGBT communities are not wealth creators but they
can be beneficial to Planners as indicators of
 open-minded attitudes
 business styles that foster innovation
 and other types of characteristics that can
attract entrepreneurs and generate new
companies
In effect, leading Planners to job and growth
generators in their local communities.

18. Being Counted: LGBT and the Census
FAPA 2011
About Me
 Marissa is a Planning Consultant that telecommutes throughout the
US from her home-base in Tampa, Florida.
 She was the project manager of the several National Studies on the
2000 Census. Black & Hispanic-Latino Same-Sex Households in the
US and Metro areas, available for download on the NGLTF website.
• Past clients: The United Way (WA), Massachusetts Commission
Against Discrimination (MCAD), UCLA, National Gay and Lesbian
Taskforce, National Fair Housing Alliance, & APIAVote
 Past Research/Teaching: Geocoding research presented at GITA, FSU
Geography adjunct, Census curriculum for Cambridge School
 She’s been actively involved in local politics, ran for public office,
and a 2008 Florida Delegate of the Democratic Caucus.
 Contacted her at MarissaSalasConsulting@gmail.com

19. Being Counted: LGBT and the Census
FAPA 2011
Bibliography
1. TAVERNISE, SABRINA. "New Numbers, and Geography, for Gay Couples." The New York Times 25 Aug. 2011. Web. 6 Sept.
2011.
2. FLORIDA, RICHARD. “America’s Top 20 Gayest Cities.” The Daily Beast 19 July 2010. Web. 6 Sept. 2011.
3. The Williams Institute. UCLA School of Law. New Research Answers Question: How Many LGBT People Are There in the
United States? 7 Apr. 2011. Web. 6 Sept. 2011.
4. The Williams Institute. UCLA School of Law. Florida Census Snapshot 2010. 2011. Web. 6 Sept. 2011.
5. The Williams Institute. UCLA School of Law. United States Census Snapshot 2010. 2011. Web. 6 Sept. 2011.
6. LEFF, LISA. “Gay Population In U.S. Estimated At 4 Million, Gary Gates Says.” The Huffington Post 7 April 2011. Web. 7
Sept. 2011
7. US Census Bureau. 2010 Census Population Profile Maps 8 June 2011. Web. 7 Sept. 2011
8. US Census Bureau. 2010 Census Briefs- Age and Sex Composition:2010 May 2011. Web. 7 Sept. 2011
9. US Census Bureau. The Census: A Snapshot 25 Aug. 2011. Web. 6 Sept. 2011
10. KUNERTH, JEFF. “Florida's gay couples increase in 2010 Census Pictures.” Orlando Sentinel 18 Aug. 2011. Web. 7 Sept.
2011.
11. US Census Bureau. About US 15 June 2010. Web. 7 Sept. 2011
12. MAN, ANTHONY. “Activists want recognition of gay communities in new legislative districts.” Sun Sentinel 18 Aug. 2011.
Web. 7 Sept. 2011.
13. Institute of Medicine. The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People: Building a Foundation for Better
Understanding 31 March 2011. Web. 7 Sept. 2011
14. Lyon-Martin Health Services. About Us. 2007-2011. Web 8 Sept. 2011.

20. Being Counted: LGBT and the Census
FAPA 2011
Bibliography
15. Lyon-Martin Health Services. Project Health. 1979-2010. Web 8 Sept. 2011.
16. Gay Men’s Health Crisis. “The New Face of HIV/AIDS.” 2011. Web 8 Sept. 2011
17. Gay Men’s Health Crisis. Achieve. Spring 2011. Web 8 Sept. 2011
18. The Well Project. “HIV and Aging.” Dec. 2009. Web 8 Sept. 2011
19. DINH, CHRISTINE. ABC23 Report. Sexually Transmitted Diseases On Rise Among Elderly. 2 April 2010. Web Sept. 2011