Gay and Lesbian Voters in Minnesota

If you've been gay or lesbian in the Twin Cities for very long, you've heard the unofficial statistics floated around: that Minneapolis is second only to San Francisco and New York in per capita numbers of GLBT people. Gay Minneapolitans and St. Paulites take pride in the progressive cities we live in and in the thriving GLBT community we have built here. A new study (PDF) released by the Williams Institute last week shows that our pride may cause us to over-estimate our numbers, but also shows that Minnesota, and the Twin Cities in particular, is the progressive hub of the Midwest that we think it is, and that our power as a voting block is substantial.

The study looked at the 2000 Census data and the US Census Bureau's 2005 American Community Survey. Because the Census Bureau does not ask sexual orientation, researchers looked at same-sex headed households. Households were asked to choose which relationship type best matched their situation: roommate, brother or sister, husband or wife or significant other. The researchers then tabulated those households that were same-sex headed and responded "significant other."

The study found that the number of same-sex couples in Minnesota increased 76% from 2000 to 2005 which places the state 3rd in the nation in terms of an increase, and puts it behind only New Hampshire and Wisconsin.

The researchers then used a multiplier to determine total number of gay, lesbian and bisexual (GLB) people per state. Minnesota came in at number 10 with 4.7% of the state population, and is the only state in the Midwest to make it into the 10 ten state in terms of GLB population. The Twin Cities ranked 8th overall in per capita GLB people with 5.7% of the metropolitan area, the only Midwestern metropolitan area in the top 10. Minneapolis' GLB population itself is 12.5%.

The study also ranked Congressional districts. The 5th District has the 9th highest GLB population in the nation with 9.5% of the population. It's also ranked 10th in the nation in estimated GLB population size with 42,124 people. The other Congressional districts in Minnesota in order of GLB people per capita:

2. District 4 with 5.6% and 24,223
3. District 3 with 5.5% and 25,993
4. District 2 with 4.4% and 22,323
5. District 6 with 4.2% and 21,516
6. District 8 with 2.9% and 14,241
7. District 7 with 2.8% and 12,722
8. District 1 with 2.4% and 10,966

The last few districts have low numbers, given their rural and suburban character, but a few percentage points is enough to swing some elections. The large size of the GLB population in the 5th District (roughly 10%) means it is vital that candidates reach out to gay, lesbian, and bisexual people and pay attention to their issues.

One caveat: It's difficult to determine numbers of gay and lesbian people in a given area for one reason: the stigma of being gay or lesbian in this country leads people to fear identifying themselves as gay or lesbian, and for that reason, it can be assumed that population estimates are lower than the actual population.