Over the Rainbow: - Wrestling With Angels

in 1992 with a sample size of 7,500 gay men and lesbians reported on education, income,
occupation, and living conditions (GA, 1996:100-102, 153).
This survey documented that:
* Over 50% had a college degree, with 25% a graduate degree.
* 70% of the occupations were found in the categories of management, health care, education,
marketing, technical, clerical, financial, literary, law or science.
* The median income for lesbians was $36,000 and for gay men, over $42,000.
* 45% were home owners , and over 45% lived in the city, with an additional 33% suburban
dwellers.
* 71% of lesbians were in a relationship, 52 % lived with a partner and 10% of lesbian
households included children under 18.
* 55% of gay men were in a relationship, 37% lived with a partner and 4.8% of gay households
included children under 18.
* Other facts revealed that in 1991 lesbians and gay men took more than 162 million trips, 78
percent of which were for business
* 89% ate out on a regular basis
* 6 million home computers were purchased between 1988 and 1991.
* Gay men and lesbians were estimated to spend as much as $500 billion annually in the United
States.
Gays are not randomly distributed throughout the country. The 2000 Census reported that
more than one-quarter of same-sex households were located in five urban areas: New York
City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and Chicago. This same Census reported that
the highest concentration of same-sex households were in 7 urban areas: San Francisco,CA;
Santa Fe, NM; Portland, ME; Burlington, VT; Seattle, WA; Miami, FL; and Austin, TX (Sears and
Osten,2003:25).
Marketing to the gay community developed into a lucrative endeavor. Gay guesthouses
and nightlife resorts and cruises became popular. A study by Witech-Combs Communications
reported that more than 2.6 million gay households in the U.S. included children. The
International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association defined the growing ranks of gay families as ‘a
niche within a niche’. In the summer of 2004, Kelli O’Donnell, mother of four, married partner
of Rosie O’Donnell, and co-owner of R Family Vacations chartered a cruise dedicated to the gay
family market. Rosie was to host a variety hour for the 1,600 gays, children and family
members on board (Bly, 2004).
Over the Rainbow: The Gay Battle for Social Reorganization of America. 2010
Dr. M. L. Coppock
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