Gay Parenting More Common in the South

Interesting, and for me, counterintuitive, phenomenon reported in the New York Times:

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Being gay in this Southern city was once a lonely existence. Most people kept their sexuality to themselves, and they were reminded of the dangers of being openly gay when a gay church was bombed in the 1980s. These days, there are eight churches that openly welcome gay worshipers. One even caters to couples with children.


The changes may seem surprising for a city where churches that have long condemned homosexuality remain a powerful force. But as demographers sift through recent data releases from the Census Bureau, they have found that Jacksonville is home to one of the biggest populations of gay parents in the country.

In addition, the data show, child rearing among same-sex couples is more common in the South than in any other region of the country, according to Gary Gates, a demographer at the University of California, Los Angeles. Gay couples in Southern states like Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas are more likely to be raising children than their counterparts on the West Coast, in New York and in New England.

It makes more sense to me after reading the article -- it isn't that the South has suddenly liberalized on gay and lesbian issues, it's that many of the gay people parenting in the South had their children while in a straight relationship that they entered because of the social pressure NOT to be gay.  Now that's the South I know!