Census Data Shows Gains |
Census figures on same-sex, unmarried partner households |
By Deborah Levinson
From data and information provided by NGLTF
On August 22, 2001 the United States Census Bureau released the final group of statistics detailing the number of people who reported living in unmarried, same-sex partner households for all 50 states. According to the report, there are 601,209 same-sex, unmarried partner households, which represents a 314 percent increase over the 145,130 same-sex, unmarried partner households reported in the 1990 Census.
Also of note is that there were same-sex, unmarried partner households reported in 99.3 percent of all counties in the United States, with only 22 counties in the entire country reporting no same-sex households.
Lorri L. Jean is the executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and organization that played an important role in educating gays and lesbians on the importance of accurately reporting their households when during the spring of 2000, the NGLTF Policy Institute and the Institute for Gay and Lesbian Strategic Studies sponsored a nationwide campaign called "Make Your Family Count!"
She said that the statistics represent an important milestone in the history of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender struggle for equality, "Never again will a state legislator or city council member be able to say, 'But I don’t have any gay or lesbian people in my district,'" Jean said. "The 2000 Census, while flawed, nonetheless represents the best count of same-sex, unmarried couples ever conducted. This data will make it easier for us to push for full recognition of our family relationships when public policy is formed, whether it is in city hall, the state house or the boardroom of a private corporation."
Paula Ettelbrick, NGLTF Family Policy director, attributed the significant increase in the 2000 statistics to three factors:
- A better counting methodology used by the U.S. Census Bureau
- A public awareness campaign launched by NGLTF and the Institute for Gay and Lesbian Strategic Studies
- A growing sense of willingness among same-sex couples to disclose their status
"These statistics document better than ever before the existence of same-sex families," Ettelbrick said. "However, they only tell part of the story. Imagine how high the numbers would be if single gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people were counted, if those in relationships but not living in the same household were counted and if every same-sex couple felt comfortable disclosing their status on a government form."
A 50-state breakdown of the Census figures reveals a rough correlation between population size and the size of the increase in the number of reported same-sex, unmarried households. Generally speaking, the largest increases came in rural, sparsely populated, more conservative states, while the smallest increases came in the more populated and urban states.
This can probably be attributed to a growing comfort level, even in the most rural states, at self-reporting, caused no doubt in no small part by the growing openness of United States society in acknowledging its gay and lesbian populace and ever-increasing numbers of people who are out, both in and out of the public eye.
Which reminds me ... when was the last time YOU came out to somebody?
In pride,
Deborah
Adult Personals - looking for the perfect adult dating site? sexsearch.com is the perfect stop for online adult personals. search thousands of cities for adults looking to meet you.
