Counting Same-Sex Couples: It’s Not as Easy as You Think
Huffington Post By: Gary Gates October 3, 2011  This week, the
U.S. Census Bureau changed its mind about how many same-sex
couples were identified in the 2010 Census. Instead of the
900,000 couples reported in data released this summer, the
Bureau revised the figure downward to just under 650,000
couples. They also estimated that there were about 130,000 same-
sex couples who described themselves as spouses living in every
state in the Union, even though they can legally marry in only
six states and the District of Columbia.  How did a quarter
million same-sex couples suddenly disappear? And why are there
so many married same-sex couples living in states where they
can’t get married?  Regarding the first question, allow me to
indulge my inner statistical geek. It turns out that those
disappearing 250,000 same-sex couples were really different-sex
couples. They miscoded the sex of one spouse or partner, so it
just looked like they were same-sex couples.