LGBT Americans should pay attention to the all-important political redistricting process that will follow the 2010 U.S. Census, and that’s why Equality California and the state’s Log Cabin Republicans chapter aim to make sure the community is represented on the state’s Citizen Redistricting Commission, according to the Bay Area Reporter.  BAR’s Matthew S. Bajko reports:

Depending on how the districts for state Assembly and Senate seats are drawn up, LGBT officials are worried the reconfigured boundaries could lessen the number of out lawmakers serving in the capital.

There is also the possibility of seeing the state’s gay neighborhoods divvied up among districts, making it harder for LGBT people to run for office. As it stands now, the boundaries for San Francisco’s two state Senate seats runs down the middle of Castro Street, dividing the city’s LGBT community into two separate districts.

“In this situation, where we have seen district lines drawn through the Castro or divide other core parts of districts that are bases of our community, it can really negatively impact the number of LGBT officials,” said EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors. “We want to make sure our community is seen as one that should be considered in drawing districts so we are represented in Sacramento. Having openly LGBT people on the commission paying attention to that is important.”