Family/Relationships

In a 1992 study, 55.5% of gay men and 71.2% of lesbians were in steady
relationships.

As of November 1997, all 50 states denied gay men and lesbians the right to
marry.

An estimated 6 million to 14 million children have a lesbian or gay parent.
Courts in 11 states have ruled that gay men and lesbians, on the basis of
their sexual orientation, are unfit to receive custody of their children.
A review of 9 studies of aspects of personal development--such as
self-concept, moral judgment, and intelligence-revealed no significant
difference between children of lesbians and gay men and children of
heterosexuals.

Violence

In the five major U.S. cities that have professionally staffed agencies
that monitor anti-lesbian and antigay violence--Boston, Chicago,
Minneapolis and St. Paul, New York, and San Francisco-- reports of anti-gay
and anti-lesbian incidents increased by 172% between 1988 and 1992;

In 1988, 697 incidents were reported

In 1990, 949 incidents were reported

In 1992, 1,898 incidents were reported

The most common perpetrators of anti-lesbian and anti-gay violence-responsible for 50% of all reported incidents--are youths ages 21 or under; 94% of the perpetrators are male. About two-thirds of the perpetrators are unknown to the victims. 89% of all incidents reported to the New York City Anti-Violence Project in 1992 resulted in no arrest.

Youth

As many as 7.2 million Americans under age 20 are lesbian or gay.

45% of gay males and 20% of lesbians experience physical or verbal assault
in high school; 28% of these young people feel forced to drop out of school
due to harassment based on sexual orientation.

According to Kinsey, 28% of boys and 17% of girls have one or more same-sex
experiences before age 20.

80% of lesbian and gay youths who took part in a 1987 study reported severe
isolation.

Every day, 13 Americans ages 15 to 24 commit suicide. In 1989, suicide was the leading cause of death among gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered youths; 53% of transsexual youths surveyed in 1981 had attempted suicide. Lesbian and gay youths account for up to 30% of all completed suicides among youths.

In December 1993, Massachusetts became the first and only state in the country to outlaw discrimination against lesbian and gay students in public schools.

Public Opinion, and other stuff

In 1965, 82% of men and 58% of women said that homosexuality represents a
"clear threat" to the American way of life.

In 1977, 56% of Americans said homosexuals should have equal rights in
employment. By 1992, that number had risen to 74%.

11% of Americans would object to having a gay airline pilot.

55% of Americans would object to having a gay elementary school teacher.

49% of Americans would object to having a gay doctor.

In 1993, 66.3% of the American population believed that sexual relations
between two consenting adults of the same sex were always wrong.

In a 1993 U.S. News and World Report poll of 1,000 registered voters, 53%
said they knew someone who is gay of these, 73% supported equal rights for
gays. 46% said they do not know someone who Is gay or lesbian; of these, 55
% supported the same rights.

Among world religions, Buddhism is notable in that it does not condemn
homosexuality.

The word "homosexual" did not appear in any translation of the Christian
Bible until 1946. There are words in Greek for same-sex sexual activities, yet they never
appear in the original text of the New Testament.

In 1972 the United Church of Christ b

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601,209 total gay and lesbian families were reported by the 2000 U.S. Census. 304,148 gay male families and 297,061 lesbian families.
Over 40 percent of same-sex "unmarried partner" couples have lived together in the same home for more than five years. Nearly one in four of the couples raise children. Two-thirds of these children live in the 43 states where "second parent" adoption is not guaranteed.
More than one in 10 gay and lesbian couples includes a senior over age 65. Nearly two-thirds of these couples have lived together for more than five years. If a partner dies, gays and lesbians, unlike their married counterparts, get no Social Security or other retirement-plan survivor benefits.
According to recent Gallup Polls, nearly nine in 10 Americans want bans on workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. Ninety-two of the Fortune 100 companies ban such discrimination on the job, and nearly two-thirds of them offer health benefits to same-sex partners.
An estimated 1 million veterans in the United States are gay men or lesbians. Recent surveys suggest that four percent of U.S. adults are gay or lesbian and that 17 percent of gay men and eight percent of lesbians have served in the military.
Source: 2005 Urban Institute, http://www.urban.org