Census Data: Lesbians More Likely to Live in Norcal, Gay Men in SoCal

By Simone Wilson Tue., Jun. 28 2011 at 5:15 PM

Patrick Range McDonald

Do WeHo gays scare the lesbians away?

Last week, NYC beat California to marriage equality. (Well, unless you count our fleeting sliver of justice in 2008.) So, for one honorary week, we'll refrain from calling it New York Shitty. Though that won't stop the Onion from picking up where we left off.

Anyway, while the topic is hot, the Williams Institute, a UCLA think tank devoted to LGBT law, has taken the opportunity to release some pretty graphs showing where most gay/lesbian couples live, where they don't live, how many babies they have, etc. One odd California stat in particular caught our eye:

According to 2010 Census data, the vast majority of lesbian couples live in NorCal, while gay couples tend to gravitate toward the bottom of the state.

Oh, shit. Is SoCal unfriendly to girl-on-girl action? (No, not that kind. Obviously.)

It's no secret that same-sex couples tend to avoid the rural deserts and farmlands of eastern Calfornia -- and the folks out there made it very clear, on their Prop. 8 ballots, that the feeling was mutual. But aside from that, we're a little perplexed by these LGBT migration patterns:

The Williams Institute

It's important to note that lesbian couples outnumber gay couples overall. After accounting for that difference, though, the data clearly shows that girls are clustered up north, saturating counties like Sonoma, Mendocino and Humboldt with their out-and-proudness.

Man couples, on the other hand, are a little more spread out. But their biggest concentration is throughout SoCal -- in Los Angeles, San Deigo and Riverside Counties.

The two groups overlap in San Francisco, but we could have told you that.

Most disconcerting is the fact that lesbian couples show up scarce in L.A. County -- one of the most popular spots for gay men. (FYI: Probably because it includes so many conservative rural bits, L.A. County actually voted majority "yes" on Prop. 8.)

So. Do lesbians feel unwelcome here? If so, this might speak to recent feminist upset in West Hollywood, L.A.'s token gayborhood, where some complain it's gotten too boy-centric. Thus the push to name itself "Boystown," and the noticeable rarity of girls' nights on the club circuit.

The trend would also reinforce the stereotype of woodsy, au naturale granola lesbians living in Humboldt and its surrounding hippie hoods, while plastic Gaga gays work on their abs/tans down south.

What do you think? What draws the chicks northward? Could they feel less safe than gay men among the SoCal Republicans? We're actually hella curious, so yeah. Do weigh in if you've got a sec.

[@simone_electra/swilson@laweekly.com]

Tags:

Census, gay marriage, gay rights, gayborhood, Humboldt, lesbians, Prop. 8, same-sex couples, UCLA, West Hollywood, Williams Institute

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Canadarocks1

I know for a fact that lesbians will get the HPV Virus in there throat. It is spreading fast HPV 16 strain all you need to do is kiss a women or man who has it. Then you get throat warts in your throat. That's right in your throat and the strain hides 16 years. Ask the CDC. They warn people all the time. It is spread through oral sex. Also it is spread through strap on dildos. And I think The lord has had enough of sodomy. Go a head and do the math Crotch warts HPV thank God I stayed in sunday school. The Bible says sow what you reap. Check out hpv surgey youtube they cut the whole throat out and chemo it most people dont survive. Thats what I herd.

the last paragraph before your conclusion explains it all... how stereotypical.

Siobhan

The percentagescales for the two maps are completely different. The dark blue on themale chart is the same as the lightest blue on the female chart. Can weget some comparable graphics please?

TheVillagePeople

all the major navy bases are in SoCal, duh!

RPardess

NorCal just rocks in general, but I am an LA native and current resident who grew up with two gay moms AND two gay dads, which means I know a lot of lesbian and gay couples who live down here. But maybe lesbians just really like the whole giant trees near the beautiful rocky ocean thing? I know I do. I'm not a lesbian, but I do know that they enjoy the beauty of nature just as much as anyone else. The gays probably congregate down south because there's more opportunity for half nakedness. I know this sounds stereotypical, but just this weekend I was at SF Pride and most men (including my BFFs) ripped their shirts off upon entering the Castro night club. But what is really comes down to is that gays and lesbians are great wherever they are.

rjhemedes

Its no surprise that there are a lot of gay male couples in Riverside since Palm Springs has one of the highest concentration of gay people in the state.

Lesbians tend to enjoy outdoor/nature activities more than gay males based on my experience with a large social group. The men prefer to stay within urban environments while the women are more adventurous and will go to the mountains, deserts, etc.