CURRENT GLBT COMMUNITIES

One measure of how far GLBT communities have come is the inclusion of questions about same-sex cohabiting partners in the U.S. 1990 and 2000 Censuses. While the census counts vastly underestimate the true numbers of GLBT people in the United States (see Badgett & Rogers, 2003), they do provide a glimpse of the increasing presence of GLBT communities that are becoming ever more willing to claim themselves. While the 1990 Census reported only slightly more than 145,000 same-sex cohabiting couples, the 2000 Census reported just over 600,000 in the United States and Puerto Rico. The representation of same-sex couples ranged from a low of 0.47% of all couples living together in North Dakota to a high of 5.14% in Washington, D.C. In the largest cities, such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Atlanta, and Seattle, same-sex couples are found in abundance, continuing a trend that began during World War II. The census also identified smaller pockets of same-sex couples in the artistic towns of Asheville, North Carolina, and New Hope, Pennsylvania; college towns of Ithaca, New York; Madison, Wisconsin; Northampton, Massachuetts; and Tacoma Park, Maryland; and resort towns such as Provincetown, Massachusetts; Rehoboth Beach, Delaware; and Key West, Florida.

When GLBT communities are large enough, businesses and social groups targeting these populations are more likely to emerge. GLBT-owned businesses are found in many cities and towns. In addition to GLBT-oriented bars and restaurants, there are insurance companies, legal firms, accountants, counseling centers, clothing stores, realtors, art studios, and other businesses owned and operated by and/or for GLBT people. Gay-affirmative spiritual communities exist throughout the United States, some within mainstream denominations and others in small nondenominational settings. More than sixty GLBT bookstores can be found in cities and towns across the country, though many more have closed in the last ten years as a result of the growth of larger chains and online distributors that carry GLBT-related books, movies, and magazines. A wide variety of social groups have been established for GLBTs, including bowlers, bikers, singers and musicians, jugglers, hikers, skiers, folk dancers, car enthusiasts, Olympians, and nudists (Appelby & Anastas, 1998, p. 98). This GLBT institution building will surely continue in small and large communities alike.

Colleges and universities have also seen an increase in GLBT student, faculty, and staff members’ presence and have developed institutions to address their needs. GLBT student resource centers have been developed at more than thirtyfive institutions, with many more administrators assigned to oversee GLBT resources, needs, and services. Undergraduate and graduate degrees, minors, and certificate programs also have developed in GLBT studies at more than thirty colleges and universities throughout the nation, researching and theorizing about the histories, cultures, and development of GLBT individuals, institutions, and communities.

GLBT people today have better connection to information about their communities through more than twenty national magazines and two hundred state and local newspapers and newsletters on GLBT issues, many of which are available online. Online information providers like gay.com offer up-to-the-minute national news coverage (GLINN Media Corporation, 2003). Rural, young, elderly, and disabled GLBT people frequently use the Internet to connect with other community members and break out of their isolation. Even mainstream civic organizations, such as local chambers of commerce, have added information about GLBT events and businesses to their Web sites.

Gay Pride events have proliferated and are now held in towns and cities, private businesses, and public organizations. Usually scheduled in June to honor the Stonewall Rebellion, these events provide forums for GLBT people to gather, celebrate their cultures, and organize for social and political change. Independent professional organizations and caucuses within established professional organizations offer information and support for GLBT teachers, psychologists, scientists, computer programmers, law enforcement officers, athletes, pilots, nurses, engineers, architects, postal workers, accountants, and veterans, among others. National, state, and local advocacy organizations are fighting for GLBT civil rights across the United States. In the field of social work, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), and the Baccalaureate Program Directors Association (BPD) have subcommittees on GLBT concerns. These groups advise social workers on appropriate practice and educational methods with these populations, while actively working to support social and legal activism on behalf of GLBT people.