Los Angeles - More than 1,000 Irish-born homosexuals and lesbians are living in same-sex partnerships in the US, according to a study by a UCLA law professor.

Gary Gates, a fellow at the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy, argued that the Irish-born homosexuals currently living in the US might be inclined to return to Ireland if the country offers legal recognition for same-sex relationships. More than 500 of the Irish homosexuals in the US today are not American citizens, he noted; these "may be among those most likely to return to Ireland to take advantage of a civil partnership law."

Finding that the homosexuals in America are, on average, better educated than other Irish citizens, Gates suggested that Irish political leaders should see civil-union legislation as a way to "entice a very talented group of Irish-born emigrants back to their homeland."