According to a press release from The Williams Institute regarding the 2010 Census, the 10 states where same-sex couples comprise the largest portion of all couples who designated themselves as spouses were all states where same-sex couples could either marry or enter into civil unions or registered domestic partnerships. Those states were Washington, D.C. (12.5 same-sex couples per 1,000 “husband/wife” couples), Massachusetts (7.5), Vermont (6.0), California (4.5), Connecticut, (4.0), New Hampshire, (3.7), Rhode Island (3.2), New York (3.2), Oregon (2.7) and Nevada (2.7).
Take a close look at that list and the numbers and it makes a very clear point. Massachusetts and the D.C. have the largest numbers. Why is that important? They happen to be the two places where the battle for marriage equality was hotly debated. Massachusetts was the first state to grant marriage based on a state Supreme Court decision. Vermont was the first state to grant marriage equality through the legislative process. The only real surprise on the list is Nevada.
New England is a bastion of marriage equality, along with other northern states New York and Oregon — and with the exception of Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia dragging the Mid-Atlantic down.
Marriage equality as an issue has really moved quickly — faster than other issues in our struggle for equality. In a short time, 12 states have adopted some form of civil union/domestic partnership/marriage compared to 22 states that have some form of nondiscrimination legislation. While marriage equality is a relatively new issue, nondiscrimination as an issue goes back to the 1970s.
Likewise, we’ve come a long way on gays in the military, a battle that began in the 1970s and ’80s with the cases of Sgt. Leonard Matlovich and Col. Margarethe Cammermeyer.
So why are marriage equality and gays in the military leading the pack on issues for the LGBT community? The answer is public opinion and what pundits like to label “Flavor of the Month” issues.
So now you can be married by the military chaplain on a military base and become a same-sex couple in the military. But a teacher in most states can still be fired simply for being LGBT. So what is our next priority?
Mark Segal, PGN publisher, is the nation’s most-award-winning commentator in LGBT media. He can be reached at [email protected] .