The C is for Crank
Census Data on Gay Families in the South Isn't That Surprising
According to US Census data, the South is the most popular region in the country for same-sex couples to raise children, the New York Times reports
. Jacksonville, Florida, for example, is home to one of the biggest populations of gay parents in the nation---a finding the Times calls "surprising."
Yes, Southern Baptist churches can still be intolerant and bigoted. Yes, the education system in states like Mississippi and Alabama sucks. And yes, there are people in the South---just like there are people everywhere---who have problems with people who don't look like them, or act like them, or worship like them.
But by and large, and increasingly, Southern people are an awful lot like you and me. Contrary to what the Times calls "the stereotype of a mainstream gay America that is white, affluent, urban and living in the Northeast or on the West Coast," an awful lot of gay people choose to stay in the South rather than fleeing for the coasts. Like other people, they stay for many reasons, including proximity to friends and family, familiarity with the culture, the laid-back pace, a lower cost of living and the fact that not everyone wants to live in a large city far away from home. Shocking, I know.
The Times story posits another reason gay parents may be more prevalent in the South: Perhaps they got married early, then came out as adults. However, the Times' evidence for that argument consists entirely of one "expert" opinion---hardly the kind of rigorous, data-driven reporting they apply to stories that aren't aimed at reinforcing stereotypes.
Don't get me wrong: I think it's great that this story is being told. I just wish writers weren't still astonished by the notion that gay people would want to live anywhere other than New York or San Francisco.
[C]hild 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.
The pattern, identified by Mr. Gates, is also notable because the families in this region defy the stereotype of a mainstream gay America that is white, affluent, urban and living in the Northeast or on the West Coast.
“We’re starting to see that the gay community is very diverse,” said Bob Witeck, chief executive of Witeck-Combs Communications, which helped market the census to gay people. “We’re not all rich white guys.”
As someone who's from the South, I'm not that surprised: Despite stereotypes (with which the NYT story is replete), residents of the South, particularly its cities, tend to be far more open-minded---about people's religions, their political views, and their sexual orientations---than the rest of the country gives them credit for. Be wary of anecdotal evidence, but I knew plenty of gay people growing up in Texas (my family lives there and in Mississippi), and have spent my share of time in Houston gay bars. Most of those friends ended up staying there, or moving back to the area after college.
Yes, Southern Baptist churches can still be intolerant and bigoted. Yes, the education system in states like Mississippi and Alabama sucks. And yes, there are people in the South---just like there are people everywhere---who have problems with people who don't look like them, or act like them, or worship like them.
But by and large, and increasingly, Southern people are an awful lot like you and me. Contrary to what the Times calls "the stereotype of a mainstream gay America that is white, affluent, urban and living in the Northeast or on the West Coast," an awful lot of gay people choose to stay in the South rather than fleeing for the coasts. Like other people, they stay for many reasons, including proximity to friends and family, familiarity with the culture, the laid-back pace, a lower cost of living and the fact that not everyone wants to live in a large city far away from home. Shocking, I know.
The Times story posits another reason gay parents may be more prevalent in the South: Perhaps they got married early, then came out as adults. However, the Times' evidence for that argument consists entirely of one "expert" opinion---hardly the kind of rigorous, data-driven reporting they apply to stories that aren't aimed at reinforcing stereotypes.
Don't get me wrong: I think it's great that this story is being told. I just wish writers weren't still astonished by the notion that gay people would want to live anywhere other than New York or San Francisco.
