Underwhelming Numbers on Gay Marriage
A recent headline in the Seattle Times triumphantly announced: “Seattle Area Ranks Third for Same Sex Marriages, IRS Data Show.” This meant 1% of all married couples in the Seattle area were gay or Lesbian, double the 0.48% of all marriages nationwide.
Contrary to predictions that millions of gay couples would rush to matrimony as soon as the law changed, tax returns reveal only 250,000 same sex couples-compared to 52 million male-female couples.
What’s more, the nature of gay families remains dramatically different: only 7% of married male-male couples have children at home; 48% of male-female marriages do.
The numbers suggest it wasn’t just legal obstacles that blocked gay couples from marriage; it was different priorities. The tiny percentage of same sex weddings also demonstrates that for the overwhelming majority of married couples in America—more than 99.5%—marriage still means one man, one woman.