The number of self-identifying same-sex couples has increased more in some areas of the United States than others. Gary Gates, senior research fellow at The Williams Institute of Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy at the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law, conducted a study that examines the population and geographic changes of same-sex couples from 2000 to 2005. “The study is the first chance that we had since the census from 2000 to update how many same-sex couples there are in the U.S. and where they live,” said Gates, author of “Same-sex Couples and the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Population: New Estimates from the American Community Survey.” Gates compared the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2000 census data to the 2005 intercensal data. Gates said several of the largest percentage increases occurred in the Midwest. “I think that’s really telling about the visible gay community and how it’s changing,” he said. The study places New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, Ohio, Colorado, Iowa, Missouri and Indiana in the top-10 states with the largest percentage increases from 2000 to 2005. The number of same-sex couples increased by 30 percent between those years, according to the study. Gates said the increases suggest higher mobility, the general increasing acceptance of same-sex couples, media attention directed toward same-sex marriage issues and other factors. Evan Wolfson is the executive director of Freedom to Marry, a gay and nongay partnership based in New York working to end marriage discrimination against same-sex couples. He said society is becoming more accepting of same-sex relationships. “I think that gay people, as we live our lives, are less willing to hide but instead want to claim opportunities for ourselves and our loved ones,” he said. Gates did not include percentage increases from 21 states, including Louisiana, because the numbers were not “statistically significant.” Wolfson said communities in the United States would be stronger if people supported all families including the ones with LGBT citizens. “The conversation about how gay people are being unfairly treated has gotten much greater in the years, and people have understood how important it is to reach out to their neighbors and say, ‘We’re here, we’re part of this community, and we want fair treatment for our families,'” he said.
—–Contact Angelle Barbazon at [email protected]