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UCLA’S WILLIAMS INSTITUTE
RELEASES NEW STUDY ANALYZING
CENSUS DATA ON SAME-SEX COUPLES
IN TENNESSEE: MORE THAN 13,500
COUPLES LIVE THROUGHOUT STATE;
RAISING MORE THAN 4,200 CHILDREN
Press Release January 22, 2008
Media Contacts:
Gary Gates (310)825-1868/gates@law.ucla.edu LOS ANGELES - Today, the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law released a new research study providing demographic and economic information about the more than 13,500 same-sex couples in Tennessee. The study shows that about 16% of the same-sex couples in Tennessee are raising an estimated 4,233 children. The study also shows that same-sex couples with children have fewer economic resources and own homes at a significantly lower rate than heterosexual, married parents. The full report may be found at: http://www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/publications/TennesseeCensusSnapshot.pdf KEY FINDINGS INCLUDE: · In 2000, there were 10,189 same-sex couples living in Tennessee. By 2005, the number of same-sex couples increased to 13,570. · There are an estimated 148,868 gay, lesbian, and bisexual people (single and coupled) currently living in Tennessee. · Same-sex couples live in every county in Tennessee and constitute 0.8% of coupled households and 0.5% of all households in the state. Shelby County reported the most same-sex couples with 1,821 couples (0.54% of all households in the county), followed by Davidson County with 1,659 couples (0.70%), and Knox County with 857 couples (0.54%). The counties with the highest percentage of same-sex couples are Davidson County (0.70% of all county households), Cheatham County (0.64%), and Grundy County (0.58%). · Tennessee’s same-sex couples are more racially and ethnically diverse than their married counterparts: 17% of same-sex couples are nonwhite, compared to 12% of married couples. · Despite the military’s historic policies of excluding gay men and lesbians from service, individuals in same-sex couples have served in the military: 14% of individuals in same-sex couples are veterans, compared to 16% of married individuals. TENNESSEE’S SAME-SEX COUPLES ARE RAISING CHILDREN WITH FEWER ECONOMIC RESOURCES THAN MARRIED PARENTS · Same-sex parents have fewer financial resources to support their children than married parents in Tennessee. The median household income of same-sex couples with children is $30,140, or 42% lower than that of married parents ($52,200). The average household income of same-sex couples with children is $50,096, less than $65,560 for married parents. · While 45% of same-sex couples with children own their home, a significantly larger percentage of married parents (80%) own their home. SAME-SEX COUPLES ARE ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN THE TENNESSEE ECONOMY · Individuals in same-sex couples in Tennessee are significantly more likely to be employed than are married individuals: 76% of individuals in same-sex couples are employed, compared to 65% of married individuals. · Contrary to a popular stereotype, the annual earnings of men in same-sex couples are significantly lower than those of married men. On average, men in same-sex couples in Tennessee earn $32,766 each year, significantly less than $44,122 for married men. The median income of men in same-sex couples in Tennessee is $28,000, or 15% less than that of married men ($33,000). · Women in same-sex couples in Tennessee earn an average of $28,003 per year (with a median of $25,000), more than married women, whose earnings average $23,126 (with a median of $19,800). Women in same-sex couples earn less than married men as well as men in same-sex couples. The Williams Institute also released today similar Census Snapshots for Indiana and Ohio, available at http://www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/publications/Policy-Census-index.html. ###
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