New census data shows the number of same-sex couples in North Carolina has more than doubled in the past 10 years.
Revised numbers for the 2010 Census show more than 18,000 same-sex couples in North Carolina. That's compared to around 8,000 in the 2000 Census. Of the 18-thousand couples, around 3,500 have children. And there are more than 3,000 couples that are married. They were likely married in other states because North Carolina does not recognize gay marriages. Six states and Washington D.C. allow gay marriage. A constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage and civil unions in North Carolina will be on May's Primary ballot.
Numbers were revised after it was found that errors made filling out surveys led to inflated numbers of same-sex household. Although, some will argue the count is under-representing same-sex couples, because many gay couples don't make that clear in census data because of fear of discrimination, and some same-sex couples who are married might not have filled in the data because they know gay marriage isn't recognized by the federal government. The numbers also come prior to New York's legalization of same-sex marriage (New York is the biggest state to legalize gay marriage, apart from California, whose voters overturned the legalization in 2008.)
The census numbers can be found at the US Census website: census.gov
The numbers reflecting the updated numbers are represented as "Preferred Data."
