Gay Men and Lesbians in the U.S. Military
Estimates from Census 2000
Author: Gary Gates
Published: September 28, 2004
Citation URL: http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=411069
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expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed
to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders. Note: This
report is available in its entirety in the Portable Document Format
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http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/411069_GayLesbianMilitary.pdf
Executive Summary
Intense policy debates about the compatibility between homosex-
uality and service in the United States armed forces contrast with
limited information about the characteristics of the gay men and
lesbians who choose to serve their country through military service.
Using data from Census 2000, this research brief begins to remedy
this information gap and estimates the size of the gay and lesbian
population serving in the military and offers a demographic portrait
of this often invisible minority. Despite a variety of rules designed
to keep gay men and lesbians out of military service, census data
make clear that they are actively serving in the armed forces, in
guard and reserve units, and have served in the military throughout
the later part of the 20th century. However, their patterns of service
are not precisely the same as those of other men and women. In
general, coupled gay men are less likely to report military service
than other men, while coupled lesbians are more likely than other
women to serve. These patterns hold true for service in the active
military, the national guard and reserve, and among veterans.
Estimates suggest that more than 36,000 gay men and lesbians
are serving in active duty, representing 2.5 percent of active duty
personnel. When the guard and reserve are included, nearly 65,000
men and women in uniform are likely gay or lesbian, accounting for
2.8 percent of military personnel. Other key findings from this
research brief:
Gay men and lesbians have served in all military eras in the
later part of the 20th century. In particular, military service rates
for coupled lesbians far exceed rates for other women in every
military era of the later 20th century. Nearly one in 10 coupled
lesbians age 63-67 report that they served in Korea, compared
with less than one in 100 of other women. Even in the most re-
cent service period from 1990 to 2000, service rates among
coupled lesbians age 18-27 are more than three times higher
than rates among other women.
While years of service do not differ much between coupled
gay men and other men, lesbians report longer terms of service
than other women. Among all women age 18-67 who report
military service, nearly 82 percent of coupled lesbians and less
than 74 percent of other women report serving more than two
years.
Coupled gay men who are veterans or report training in the
guard or reserve show greater racial and ethnic diversity than
other men. Among men who report guard or reserve training, the
proportions of coupled gay men who are African American and
Latino exceed those of other men. Among female veterans, the
pattern is the opposite of that shown with men. Coupled lesbians
are more likely to be white than other female veterans and are
less likely to be African American.
Coupled gay men who report guard or reserve training or
who are veterans report annual incomes below that of other men,
while coupled lesbians report incomes above that of other women.
An exploration of employment status provides some explanation
for the income gaps observed. Coupled gay men with guard or
reserve training are less likely to be employed full time and more
likely to not be in the labor force than other men. Conversely,
coupled lesbians who are veterans or report guard or reserve
training have substantially higher rates of full-time employment
than other women and are less likely to report not being in the
labor force.
North Dakota, Hawaii, Alaska, Virginia, and Idaho have the
largest proportion of veterans among same-sex couples. Men and
women in same-sex couples in North Dakota are twice as likely
to be a veteran than the national average. Among metropolitan
areas, Pensacola, FL, Norfolk, VA, San Diego, CA, Dayton, OH,
and Santa Rosa, CA, have the highest rates of veterans among
same-sex couples. Pensacola's rate of 34 percent is more than three
times the national average.
Nearly one million gay and lesbian Americans are veterans.
The states with the largest population of gay and lesbian veterans
include California, Florida, Texas, New York, and Georgia. Among
metropolitan areas, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, San Diego,
Chicago, and New York have the highest populations of gay and
lesbian veterans.
The District of Columbia leads all states with a rate of 10.2 gay
or lesbian veterans per one thousand adults, more than double the
national average. Per capita rates are also high in Vermont, Hawaii,
Maine, and Washington. Santa Rosa, Pensacola, San Francisco,
San Diego, and Norfolk are among the metropolitan areas with the
highest per capita rates of gay and lesbian veterans.
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