1.  A statewide poll in 2005 of 25,000 North Carolinians, conducted by the Common Sense Foundation, found that:

• 73 percent of respondents agreed that all North Carolinians should have equal rights under the law regardless of sexual orientation.

• 57 percent stated that it is not fair for an employer to discriminate against an employee based solely on his or her sexual orientation.

• 69 percent agreed that it is unfair for a landlord to deny housing to a tenant based solely on sexual orientation. 

2.  According to the 2000 US Census, there were 16,198 same-sex couples living in NC. Estimates based on the 2005 “American Community Survey” put this number at 19,648 with a total of 212,104 gay, lesbian and bisexual people living in NC (increases likely reflect an increase in the willingness  to disclose their partnership on government surveys).

3.  Of same-sex couples in NC, 52 percent are female and 48 percent are male.  24 percent of same-sex couples in NC are non-white.

4.  According to US Census data, 4.1 percent of men and 4.1 percent of women age 18-44 identify themselves as homosexual or bisexual.

5.  There are estimated 8.8 million gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons in the U.S.

6.  There are an estimated 777,000 same sex couples in the US, 20 percent of whom are raising children.

7.  In 2007, 12.5 percent of the total US population was considered “poor,” defined as living in a family with an income below the federal poverty level. Considering specific categories of people, an estimated 24 percent of lesbians and bisexual women are poor compared to only 19 percent of heterosexual women. The rate of “poor” among gay and bisexual men is 15 percent, compared to 13 percent for heterosexual men.

8.  Children of same-sex couples are twice as likely as children of married couples to be poor. One out of every five children under 18 years old living in a same-sex couple family is poor compared to almost one in ten (9.4 percent) children in different-sex married couple families.

9.  An estimated 86 percent of GLBT high school students experience harassment at school.

10.  Only 13 states and the District of Columbia, have laws that ban workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. This covers 39 percent of the total U.S. population.

11.  Nationally in 2007, 7,624 incidents of hate crimes were reported in the US, 1,265 of which were motivated by the sexual orientation of the victim. Ten incidents were reported in North Carolina in 2007.

12.  According to a Gallup poll, a majority of Americans (58%) say they have a friend, relative, or coworker who is gay or lesbian. Survey data indicates that knowing a gay or lesbian individual tends to affect one’s views on gay/lesbian issues.

13.  Mainline clergy overwhelmingly support the principle of equal rights for gay and lesbian people. Nearly 8-in-10 (79%) agree that “homosexuals should have all the same rights and privileges as other American citizens.” Mainline clergy also strongly support some legal recognition of same-sex relationships. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of mainline clergy support either same-sex marriage (33%) or civil unions (32%).

14. Americans continue to support allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military.

1. The Common Sense Foundation, “Liberty and Justice for All: A Study of Issues Affecting the LGBT Community in North Carolina,” http://common-sense.org/pdfs/LGBT_report_2005.pdf

2. The Williams Institute of UCLA Law School, “Census Snapshot: North Carolina,” http://www.law.ucla.edu/Williamsinstitute/publications/NorthCarolinaCensusSnapshot.pdf

3. The Williams Institute of UCLA Law School, “Census Snapshot: North Carolina,” http://www.law.ucla.edu/Williamsinstitute/publications/NorthCarolinaCensusSnapshot.pdf

4. CDC “National Survey of Family Growth, 2002” http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nsfg/abc_list.htm

5. http://www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/publications/SameSexCouplesandGLBpopACS.pdf

6. http://www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/publications/USCensusSnapshot.pdf

7.  “Poverty in the LGB Community” (March 2009)

http://www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/pdf/LGBPovertyReport.pdf

8. “Poverty in the LGB Community” (March 2009)

http://www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/pdf/LGBPovertyReport.pdf

9. GLSEN “National School Climate Study 2007”

http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/library/record/2340.html

10. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, “Jurisdictions with Explicitly Trans-Inclusive Discrimination Laws,” http://thetaskforce.org/downloads/reports/fact_sheets/all_jurisdictions_w_pop_8_08.pdf

11.  U.S. Department of Justice — Federal Bureau of Investigation, “Hate Crime Statistics, 2007” October 2008, http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/hc2007/incidents.htm 

12. Knowing Someone Gay/Lesbian Affects Views of Gay Issues,” May 29, 2009,

 http://www.gallup.com/poll/118931/Knowing-Someone-Gay-Lesbian-Affects-Views-Gay-Issues.aspx

13. Public Religion Research, “Clergy Voices: Findings from the 2008 Mainline Protestant Clergy Voices Survey,” March 2009, http://www.publicreligion.org/objects/uploads/fck/file/Clergy%20Report/Political%20Report%20MPCVS%20NO%20EMBARGO(1).pdf