Facts About Gay Couples

foundit66 · 07-31-2006, 11:49 PM

Numerous demographers report that this number, although significant, is still likely to be a considerable undercount of the actual number of same-gender partner households in the United States. Despite the likelihood of an undercount and the legal restrictions on the Census Bureau resulting from the enactment of DOMA, Census 2000 represents the most
comprehensive source of data on same-gender partnered households to date, allowing demographers to analyze data at the national, state, city/town, and community levels.

Specific Census 2000 findings include:

• Same-gender couples live in 99.3% of all US counties.
• Same-gender couples are raising children in at least 96% of all US counties.
• Nearly one quarter of all same-gender couples are raising children.
• Nationwide, 34.3% of lesbian couples are raising children, and 22.3% of gay male couples are raising children (compared with 45.6% of married heterosexual and 43.1% of unmarried heterosexual couples raising children).
• Vermont has the largest aggregation of same gender couples (_1% of all households) followed by California, Washington, Massachusetts, and Oregon.
• Regionally, the South has the highest percentage of same-gender couples who are parents; 36.1% of lesbian couples and 23.9% of gay couples in the South are raising children.
• The second highest percentage is seen in the Midwest, where 34.7% of lesbian couples and 22.9% of gay couples are parenting children.
• In the West, 33.1% of lesbian couples and 21.1% of gay couples are parents.
• In the Northeast, 32.6% of lesbian couples and 21.7% of gay couples are raising children.
• The states with the highest percentages of lesbian couples raising children are Mississippi (43.8%), South Dakota and Utah (42.3% each), and Texas (40.9%).
• The states with the highest percentages of gay male couples raising children are Alaska (36%), South Dakota (33%), Mississippi (31%), and Idaho and Utah (30% each).
• Six percent of same-gender couples are raising children who have been adopted compared with 5.1% of heterosexual married couples and 2.6% of unmarried heterosexual couples.
• Eight percent of same-gender parents are raising children with special health care needs, compared with 8.3% of heterosexual unmarried parents and 5.8% of heterosexual married parents.
• Of same-gender partners raising children, 41.1% have been together for 5 years or longer, whereas 19.9% of heterosexual unmarried couples have stayed together for that duration.
http://pediatrics.aappublications.or...rint/118/1/349

Nebraskaboy · 08-01-2006, 12:42 AM

99.3% of all US counties?

Wow. That is much higher than I would have expected.

Oh well, I don't know why you have to provide statistics to get people to accept homosexuals. Won't make much of a difference, this is one of those hot-button issues, it's hard to change someones mind on.

At least you will give them something to think about.

alias · 08-01-2006, 01:24 AM

It just means more confused people like foundit let loose into the world. Sad.

Katczinsky · 08-01-2006, 02:19 AM

Confused? How is he confused on this issue?

He's trying to confuse people by giving them facts?

vharlow · 08-01-2006, 07:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by foundit66

Numerous demographers report that this number, although significant, is still likely to be a considerable undercount of the actual number of same-gender partner households in the United States. Despite the likelihood of an undercount and the legal restrictions on the Census Bureau resulting from the enactment of DOMA, Census 2000 represents the most
comprehensive source of data on same-gender partnered households to date, allowing demographers to analyze data at the national, state, city/town, and community levels.

Specific Census 2000 findings include:

• Same-gender couples live in 99.3% of all US counties.
• Same-gender couples are raising children in at least 96% of all US counties.
• Nearly one quarter of all same-gender couples are raising children.
• Nationwide, 34.3% of lesbian couples are raising children, and 22.3% of gay male couples are raising children (compared with 45.6% of married heterosexual and 43.1% of unmarried heterosexual couples raising children).
• Vermont has the largest aggregation of same gender couples (_1% of all households) followed by California, Washington, Massachusetts, and Oregon.
• Regionally, the South has the highest percentage of same-gender couples who are parents; 36.1% of lesbian couples and 23.9% of gay couples in the South are raising children.
• The second highest percentage is seen in the Midwest, where 34.7% of lesbian couples and 22.9% of gay couples are parenting children.
• In the West, 33.1% of lesbian couples and 21.1% of gay couples are parents.
• In the Northeast, 32.6% of lesbian couples and 21.7% of gay couples are raising children.
• The states with the highest percentages of lesbian couples raising children are Mississippi (43.8%), South Dakota and Utah (42.3% each), and Texas (40.9%).
• The states with the highest percentages of gay male couples raising children are Alaska (36%), South Dakota (33%), Mississippi (31%), and Idaho and Utah (30% each).
• Six percent of same-gender couples are raising children who have been adopted compared with 5.1% of heterosexual married couples and 2.6% of unmarried heterosexual couples.
• Eight percent of same-gender parents are raising children with special health care needs, compared with 8.3% of heterosexual unmarried parents and 5.8% of heterosexual married parents.
• Of same-gender partners raising children, 41.1% have been together for 5 years or longer, whereas 19.9% of heterosexual unmarried couples have stayed together for that duration.
http://pediatrics.aappublications.or...rint/118/1/349

I'm wondering if these percentages are of ADMITTED lesbian couples, or if they indeed include households where two women live together who aren't sexually involved. Or, has the world so evolved that two women cannot share a house and child rearing without being labeled lesbian?

I never assume that two women sharing a living arrangement are lesbians.

Jaxian · 08-01-2006, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vharlow

I'm wondering if these percentages are of ADMITTED lesbian couples, or if they indeed include households where two women live together who aren't sexually involved. Or, has the world so evolved that two women cannot share a house and child rearing without being labeled lesbian?

I never assume that two women sharing a living arrangement are lesbians.

It is very unlikely that these numbers include women who are simply living together.

If they did, this would mean that they have to include all situations where two women live together as roommates, which would significantly drop the percentages.

For example, for every woman raising a child who just happens to live in the same house as another woman, there are probably hundreds of women living together simply as roommates.

Because of this, these numbers would be far lower if they included women simply living together who don't consider themselves lesbians.

foundit66 · 08-01-2006, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vharlow

I'm wondering if these percentages are of ADMITTED lesbian couples, or if they indeed include households where two women live together who aren't sexually involved. Or, has the world so evolved that two women cannot share a house and child rearing without being labeled lesbian?
I never assume that two women sharing a living arrangement are lesbians.

The same statistics are collected for couples of opposite gender who cohabitate. Thus, the potential problem would be present for those couples too.

But of course there is one simple solution for this. Grant marriage or civil union status to gay couples...

alias · 08-01-2006, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katczinsky

Confused? How is he confused on this issue?

He's trying to confuse people by giving them facts?

Facts about what? Facts about a lot of confused people? Homosexuals are confused. That's my opinion.

foundit66 · 08-01-2006, 06:46 PM

Antigay Math on Gay Couples Doesn't Add Up
By Mike Airhart

The Exodus media blog cites a new press release promoting the Gay and Lesbian Atlas, an almanac of facts and figures about gays in America.

The information contained in the Atlas, derived from the U.S. Census, reminds the public that exgay facts and figures do not add up. Here's why.

Exodus and its allies periodically assert that barely one percent (or 3 million) of the U.S. population is same-sex-attracted, or "gay."

But the 2000 U.S. Census counted 594,000 gay couples and 59,000,000 heterosexual couples.

The gay couple count coincidentally happens to be 1 percent of the heterosexual couple count. This suggests one of the following: Either (1) gays have no greater difficulty forming couples, proportionate to their share of the population, or (2) more than 1 percent of the population is gay.

Calculated in other ways, the math looks equally bad for the exgay movement.

If there are 600,000 gay couples in America, then there are approximately 1,200,000 gay individuals comprising the coupled gay population -- in other words, 40 percent of the alleged 3 million gay population. As it happens, the same percentage of the heterosexual population is coupled.

Does anyone believe that nearly half the gay population is coupled? In order for them not to be, the percentage of Americans who are gay must be many times higher than that claimed by the exgay movement.
http://www.exgaywatch.com/blog/archi...y_math_on.html

alias · 08-01-2006, 08:58 PM

I really hadn't given it much thought...........

Nor do I intend to.

Good night and good luck.