So far in 2011, we've seen a dizzying array of numbers that attempt to define the LGBT community.
We've learned that gays make up 3-5 percent of the population, although that number doubles if you take into account the adults who have had same-sex sex, and that number doubles again if you take into account those who admit same-sex attraction. We've learned that 47 percent of transgender individuals have attempted suicide and that 19 percent of them have experienced homelessness.
When it comes to Michigan, we've learned there are (reportedly) nearly 22,000 same-sex couples living in the state, which is a 42 percent increase from ten years ago. We've also learned that there is, on average, a 50 percent increase in same-sex couples reporting themselves to the U.S. census, with some states such as Montana registering increases as high as 88 percent.
Many news outlets across the country have used the recently released data about same-sex couples in the 2010 census as an excuse to proclaim my, how the gay population has grown. That's not quite right. There are still many problems in counting all of us: there's no standard definition of what it means to be LGBT, and it's difficult to distinguish between self-identity and behavior, which are very different things; one is self-definition and another is action. The large overall increases in same-sex couples being reported in states right now are likely due to people coming out of the closet and deciding to self-identify.
So one thing is for sure: we are here, we are queer, and not only are they getting used to it, but we are too. We are slowly but surely becoming more comfortable reporting ourselves and identifying as L, G, B, T, Q, I, A or whatever other letter we choose.
Most importantly, this means that we need our rights already. We shouldn't have to worry that being outed can mean being fired or evicted. We shouldn't have to worry when we consider marriage and children – we ought to be able to plan for these things with all the same joy as heterosexual couples.
We deserve all these things not just because our Constitution says that all of us are created equally, but also because, as the studies will continue to show, we are here.
