Parenting by Gays More Common in the South, Census Shows

[marmar]

from the New York Times:



....(snip)....

In addition, the data show, child rearing among same-sex couples is more common in the South than in any other region of the country, according to Gary Gates, a demographer at the University of California, Los Angeles. Gay couples in Southern states like Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas are more likely to be raising children than their counterparts on the West Coast, in New York and in New England.

The pattern, identified by Mr. Gates, is also notable because the families in this region defy the stereotype of a mainstream gay America that is white, affluent, urban and living in the Northeast or on the West Coast.

“We’re starting to see that the gay community is very diverse,” said Bob Witeck, chief executive of Witeck-Combs Communications, which helped market the census to gay people. “We’re not all rich white guys.”

Black or Latino gay couples are twice as likely as whites to be raising children, according to Mr. Gates, who used data from a Census Bureau sampling known as the American Community Survey. They are also more likely than their white counterparts to be struggling economically. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/19/us/19gays.html?src=me&ref=general

[xchrom]

1. ...

:applause:

[Lucinda]

2. Thankie for the post

Some surprising stuff in there.

[Cal Carpenter]

3. my heavens, gay brown people raising children? In Dixie?

What is the world coming to?!

:D

(apply really bad northerner-faking-a-southern-accent to the subject line)

[mopinko]

4. suspect the lack of a safety net would be the main cause.

a system of foster care, etc, that would end up with these kids where it exists is not there. it falls to families to take them in.

[Arkansas Granny]

6. According to the article, many already had children from hetero relationships

before entering into a same sex relationship, which seems to be the case with many of my gay and lesbian friends.

[Still a Democrat]

5. The south is typically more backward

in this type of thing. Surprising.

[get the red out]

7. Not that suprizing

Since I'm straight, I probably shouldn't post this, but I am a southerner. In my observation, the pounding of the religious right,and general homophobia here, has led to some young gay people trying to not be gay, getting in hetero relationships early on, and having kids. I know a woman who told me she did exactly that "hoping it (gay feelings) would go away". She's openly gay and has a child.

[LuvNewcastle]

8. That's the way it is with most of the

gay people I know who have kids. Many of them have these kids when they're in their teens and various friends and extended family members have stepped up to help care for the children. Southerners tend to have closer relationships with their extended family than people in other parts of the country and those extended relations have been important in helping these families to thrive.