Williams Institute report tracks Latino LGBT adults and families in the U.S.

A new report from The Williams Institute crunches the numbers behind the 2010 Census and tracks the impact and scope of LGBT Latinos living in the United States. The report finds that an estimated 1.4 million - or 4.3 percent - of adult Latinos identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender - and that a large number of these adults are in commited relationships with a same-sex partner. 

29.1% of same-sex Latino couples are raising children, the report also finds. Click the graphic (right) to enlargen. 

The report explained that the LGBT Latinos are more likely to live in areas where there are higher proportions of Latinos - states like New Mexico, California, and Texas. Angeliki Kastansis, Public Policy Research Fellow for the Williams Institute, said:

"Notably, many LGBT Latinos live in states, such as Florida and Texas, with few legal protections for LGBT people and families. The study highlights that public debates in these states on whether to prohibit discrimination of the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity or whether to recognize the relationships of same-sex couples, impact members of both the Latino and LGBT communities."

The Latino community has demonstrated consistently strong support for the freedom to marry, with an October 2012 poll showing that 60% of Latinos support marriage for same-sex couples. A supermajority of Latinos have grown to understand that marriage matters to their gay family members for similar reasons it matters to them: to make a lifetime commitment to each other, to share in the respect and dignity that comes with being married, and to protect their families. Latinos care about marriage because they care about family, and no member of anyone's family should ever face discrimination. 

To continue the Latino community's upward momentum on supporting LGBT people and embracing fairness for all families, Freedom to Marry has been working this year with over 20 leading national Hispanic organizations on Familia es Familia, an innovative and comprehensive public education campaign that aims to heighten acceptance of LGBT family members within the Latino community. The Familia es Familia website is full of resources designed to empower voices within and from Latino families and communities. 

The new report from the Williams Institute underscores the urgency and importance of the freedom to marry. Millions of families - including thousands of Latino families - are doing the work of marriage without any legal respect, and without the freedom to marry in their home state. It's time for marriage across the country.

Read the entire report from the Williams Institute HERE, and read the Spanish-language press release HERE