The Human Rights Campaign recently applauded the U.S. Census Bureau
for a report it released that, for the first time, gives data on
the nation's families headed by same-sex partners. The report gives
information on the number of same-sex partner households in the nation
that are raising children, the average age of same-sex couples, and the
racial makeup of same-sex couples.
"This is a landmark as it is the first time any government institution
has worked to gather and publish information on this country's gay
families," said HRC Communications Director and Senior Strategist David
M. Smith. "These numbers are compelling evidence that more needs to be
done legislatively to provide the same protections to same-sex couples
and their families that are already available for non-gay families."
The report was compiled on data taken during the 2000 U.S. Census.
Previously released census data revealed that there are 594,391 reported
same-sex households in the country – of those, 301,026 are male
partners, and 293,365 are female partners. Those same numbers also
showed that gay and lesbian families live in 99.3 percent of all
counties in the United States.
"We firmly believe that those numbers are artificially low, as many gay
people in this country are still afraid to step forward and identify
themselves because of the threat of discrimination," said Smith.
The new report showed that one third of female partner households (34.3
percent), and one fifth of male partner households (22.3 percent) are
raising children. Currently, eight states and the District of Columbia,
along with scattered counties across the country, guarantee same-sex
couples access to second-parent adoption, which permits both parents to
establish a legal relationship to any child they might raise together,
according to HRC Foundation's FamilyNet project (www.hrc.org/familynet),
the most comprehensive resource on gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender families.
"Children in all families deserve the security of a legal relationship
to both their parents," said Lisa Bennett, who runs HRC FamilyNet.
"These new census numbers demonstrate how critical it is for the law to
catch up with the changing American family, by showing just how many
same-sex couples are raising children today."
The report further showed that the average age of male partners ranged
between 44.5 and 42.4, and that the average age of female partners
ranged between 43.4 and 42.2. Comparatively, opposite-sex married
couples have average ages in their late 40s, while unmarried
opposite-sex households have an average age in the low to mid 30s.
"These numbers are interesting because they highlight the different
rights that are bestowed on opposite-sex couples in this country, who
are allowed to marry, and same-sex couples, who do not have marriage
rights," said Smith. "The trend in this country right now shows people
getting married later in life, which is why the average age of
heterosexual married couples is older than the average age of
heterosexual couples who are sharing a home but not yet married.
Without the ability to marry or legally recognize their relationships,
it is difficult to tell the statistical difference between same-sex
couples who are living together, and same-sex couples who have made a
lifelong commitment to one another."
Finally, the new report also gives insight into the number of
interracial same-sex couples in the United States, with 11.5 percent of
male same-sex households having multi-racial partners, and 10 percent of
female same-sex households having multi-racial partners. Comparatively,
5.7 percent of married couples are multi-racial and 12.2 percent of
opposite-sex partners are multi-racial.
"This new report on gay families shows us once again that gay and
lesbian families are an undeniable part of the American landscape, and
the time is long overdue for providing meaningful recognition of our
families and relationships," said Smith.
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