Why The 2010 Census Results For America’s 75 Gayest Cities Are Inaccurate
UCLA’s Williams Institute has determined the nation’s 75 gayest cities from the results of the 2010 Census. Sadly, the Census only counted gay couples in each city. Makes you wonder which cities would come out on top if the Census started counting all the single gays too.
Image via abeeeer
Sweetie, this chart does not show Austin to have more gays than LA. Learn to interpret a set of basic data.
·
I’d be more interested in seeing how many gays there were in each MSA, rather than in a particular municipality.
·
The story seems accurate in both findings and analysis..it doesn’t appear to make the claim about the gayest city, but clearly states it is analyzed by same-sex couples. This is a typical “blog” story created to fill some dead white space where it could have been presented in a completely different way, such as “San Francisco: Gayest City for Couples” but that is too boring, for a blog that actually has the headline: Swish Edition: “Twink of the Year” Seth Knight Is Dying For A Dungeon Scene . Ha!
·
Add to this the number of gay couples who did NOT identify themselves as a couple on the census form.
The campaign is already underway to gay LGBT identity added to the 2020 census.
·
I KNEW Washington DC was higher up on the list than the original article, as presented, said.
·
Neither the Bureau of the Census nor UCLA’s Williams Institute reported the census data and analysis was about the “Gayest” cities — as the title of the chart clearly states, the data and analysis is about same-sex couples. Queerty simply linked an erroneous title published in a Dallas paper.
****************
The analysis is subject to debate as to whether proper controls were included to take into account varying instructions issued by the Bureau to different geographic locations.
The 2010 Census Form allows people of the same sex to report their relationship with another as roommates/housemates, parent-and-child, grandparent-and-child, other family relationships as examples of same sex households OR as unmarried partners. Alas, the Bureau issued different instructions, reported in gay blogs and papers, about what was considered unmarried partners. Further, same-sex couples who were, in fact, legally married in their state, were left with no accurate means of identifying their status.
AT THE VERY LEAST, though, these numbers are based on those same-sex households who reported that they were couples as opposed to house/roommate status. Of course, included in those numbers are the many who were confused about how to report their status and those who choose to report themselves as couples.
Another census is due in just over 7 years. Perhaps by then, the marriage issue will be resolved so those of us in a same-sex marriage can report accurately who we are.
·
I’ve been out for 21 years. One thing I can say with certainty is that, while this census is a great start, there are two things: 1) for every gay couple I know who are at a comfort level where they’d list their status on the census, there are 500 gay people who’ve never met anyone, aren’t having any luck, and aren’t being recognized. This census, if anything, shows just how few of us are really out there if it only shows the privileged few who are coupled. 2) The cities listed are cities that have always been cultural havens for affluent, progressive, educated individuals – we’ve had acceptance from our non-gay friends in these cities for decades. This could have been from 40 years ago and these same cities would have been shown.
What needs to start happening, and no, I don’t have any advice on how to do this (yet) is the gay community needs to match what’s going on in the larger society: more and more people who have lost their jobs, investments, insurance, and/or relationships have had to leave the San Franciscos and NYCs of this country and, not necessarily by choice, had to return to the cities they grew up in because they lost everything. Society needs to see that a LOT of us have returned home, and wow, we kind of like being home! I have noticed that my hometown was not the greatest while growing up, but what a difference few years makes! A non-prejudiced mayor and city council, a growing university that has shown an interest in diversity, and we have many GLBT and other minority groups comfortably living here that never would have a decade or two ago…I think it’s more important to show that to those who think ‘their town is immune from us’ or something.
·
Did I just miss it, or is NYC not on this list? There can not possibly be less same-sex couples in New York City than in someplace like St Paul, based purely on probability. I’d like to know what happened there.
·
I’m happy to see this site hasn’t changed more mis-information it’s the gay version of faux news. Can anyone on this site write an accurate article are is this site run by journalism flunkies?
·
Any first-year research will tell you that a survey that consists of “self-reported” data is unreliable and invalid.
The entire census is self-reported. Which means that any controversial or potentially controversial status — gay, illegal immigrant, etc. — is underreported.
·
Brian, self-reported data are not unreliable nor invalid given a properly formatted question and measure. They are used for analyses all the time. Answers for items using widely used Likert scales, for instance, are considered self-reported data.
·
I have already stated that this Census count of gay couples is apparently heavily biased toward white, affluent areas and undercounts non-white hispanic and black areas.
I have compiled data counting over 6 million members on over 40 gay social websites; I have this data on a zip code, city, county, metro and state basis
I have also obtained data of identified gay men who are living with HIV on a zip code, metro and state level.It is interesting to find that the above two comparisons match much more closely than the Census counts of gay couples.
Affluent, predomiately white areas show high levels of gay couples; areas with high counts of HIV living gays and high memberships on social sites, however, shows LOW counts of Census couples when these areas are less affluent or have more Latins or Blacks.
As an example: Miami-Dade versus Ft.Lauderdale Broward couties:
Miami Dade has over 12,500 identified gay men living with HIV;
Ft Lauderale-Broward has 8,000 identified gay men livng with Hiv;
Miami-Dade has approx. 95.000 members on the 40 gay social websites counted.
Ft. Lauderdale-Broward has approx. 78,000 members on these social websites.
However,
Miami Dade has approx. 8800 self-identified gay men in coupled relationships.
Ft. Laud.-Broward has approx 12,000.
The big difference is Miami-Dade is over 62% Latin;
Ft. Laud-Broward is over 62% white, non-hispanic.
This pattern shows across the nation in all areas examined. Areas that are affluent and predomitately white non-hispanic show much higher rates of being couples to the Census than areas that are less affluent and have higher percentages of either Latins or Blacks.
I would highly suggest that one not take these Census counts as an
accurate measure of the gay population.
·
Per capita, yes! Total number, no…makes sense to me!!!
·
This chart shows Austin, TX having more gays than Los Angeles, CA? Now that’s funny not to mention, totally bogus.