A revolutionary census report paints a colorful picture of Black same-sex households. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute and the National Black Justice Coalition released a study that showed that Black gay couples are more likely to hold jobs in the public sector, raise children, and struggle financially than their white same-sex counterparts.
The study is entitled Black Same-Sex Households in the United States: A Report from the 2000 Census and is the first to examine the demographics of Black gay households from the 2000 United States Census.
The general results regarding economic and family data have raised eyebrows and voices at the Task Force Policy Institute.
It is because of these factors, people at the institute contend, that Black gay and lesbian households stand to gain more from the legal protections of marriage. They also say that, conversely, these couples will have more to lose if states pass amendments barring marriage and civil unions.
The report takes several aspects into consideration. The study analyzes census data on age, immigration status, income, home ownership, family structure, military service, language, disability, employment, and level of education. Black gay households are compared to white same-sex, Black married heterosexual, interracial gay, Black heterosexual cohabitating, and Black single-parent households. Some of the findings include:
— Three in five Black lesbian households (61%) have mothers raising children.
— Black same-sex couples earn about $20,000 less annually than white same-sex couples. Consequently, some of those African-American couples cannot own as many items, including homes.
— Black gay couples are more likely than their white same-sex counterparts to hold public sector jobs, which may provide domestic-partner health insurance.
— Black gay couples are almost as likely as Black married heterosexual couples to report living in the same place as five years earlier, which is an important sign of relationship stability.
— Another interesting discovery is that Black men and women in same-sex households serve in the military at high rates despite the risk of losing their wages and benefits because of the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy. Actually, Black lesbians reported being veterans at almost four times the rate of Black heterosexual married women.
There were also census reports taken in several metropolitan areas, including Detroit, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Chicago. Some of the conclusions of the Chicago report are as follows:
— The median personal income for individuals in Black same-sex couples was $18,500.
— There are 3,954 Black gay and lesbian couples in the Chicago area, which represents almost five percent of all Black gay couples in the country. Sixteen percent of all same-sex couples are Black, which for the Chicago study is defined as having at least one partner being Black.
— Fifteen percent of men and four percent of women in Black gay relationships are military veterans.
See www.TheTaskForce.org .
