Deconcentration of Urban Gay Enclaves: Evidence from the 2000 and 2010 U.S. Censuses

Amy L. Spring, University of Washington

This study addresses the following questions: Are urban enclaves for same-sex partner households deconcentrating? What contextual qualities are associated with more segregated environments, and more rapid deconcentration? Data on the residential location of same-sex partner households are drawn from the 2000 and 2010 U.S. Decennial Censuses. The results show that same-sex partners were generally less segregated in 2010 than in 2000. For same-sex male partners, 2010 segregation was greater in large cities with lower levels of education, and places with greater racial/ethnic segregation experienced less integration. For same-sex female partners, 2010 segregation was greater in cities with more frequent acts of violence towards homosexuals, lower average incomes, higher levels of education, and greater racial/ethnic diversity, and these same types of places experienced less integration. The segregation of both gay and lesbian same-sex partners is positively associated with past segregation, suggesting that historical segregation is a continued barrier to integration.