Approximately one-quarter of all same-sex households in the United States are raising children, according to ABC News’ coverage of the latest U.S. Census data for American LGBT families.
The groundbreaking report – the first of its kind in U.S. history to incorporate same-sex couples and their children into standard data collection procedures – indicates that, among same-sex households throughout the nation, an average range of 19 to 28 percent are raising children in states as socially and geographically diverse as Hawaii, Alabama, California, Wyoming, Delaware, Kansas and Pennsylvania.
Gay marriage advocates have noted that, when it comes to marriage equality efforts like the high-profile debate currently underway in the New York state legislature, census counts like these are critical in order to understand demographic needs and create policies based on children’s best interests.
Stuart Gaffney, a spokesman for Marriage Equality USA, told ABC News that the recent census signifies the first time that families who have “always been there” have received accurate representation in official data reports.
“It’s so critical to show we are in every state, every city and every county in the United States,” Gaffney said, noting that reps like those arguing against New York marriage equality can get away with saying they don’t know constituents in their district who care about same-sex marriage until such census reports are made public.
“They need to know we are here,” Gaffney said.
The landmark census gives lawmakers, gay rights activists and demographers alike the first clear and accurate national picture of the same-sex familial landscape.
