Raleigh ranks third highest in gay parents

A recent survey ranks Raleigh third in metropolitan areas with highest percentages of same-sex couples with kids.

But because of state law that bans same-sex marriage, some equal rights activists say they are surprised by the high ranking.

The American Community Survey polled metro areas with a population of more than 1 million, news reports state. Raleigh ranked below San Antonio, Texas and Jacksonville, Fla.

Terri Phoenix, director for the UNC Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Center, said the ranking was unexpected.

When raising a child, it is important to have relationship recognition and non-biological parent rights, Phoenix said.

But North Carolina does not have such provisions in place for same-sex couples, Phoenix said.

The state does not recognize same-sex relationships, and in December 2010 they ruled the procedures of same-sex adoption as illegal, Phoenix said.

“A state like Massachusetts recognizes same-sex relationships and marriages and North Carolina does not have either of those things,” Phoenix said. “We have a state law that limits marriage to one man, one woman.”

Shawn Long lives with his partner Craig Johnson in Raleigh, where they raise their 9-year-old son Isaiah.

But only Johnson has legal adoption rights of the child.

Long, administrative coordinator for Equality North Carolina, said Raleigh’s ranking might stem from it’s highly-educated, family-oriented environment.

“In the South, people come out later in life and a lot of times they have had kids through previous heterosexual relationships,” he said.

“Here in the Triangle there’s a lot of technology and the universities in the area and the cost of living is a lot lower than other metropolitan areas,” Long said.

He said support networks, such as Raleigh Area Gay Parents and Triangle Families help attract same-sex couples with kids to Raleigh.

“You come into the area and you already have a structural support for raising your kids,” Long said.

Stuart Poplin, a UNC junior political science major, said he was shocked by the survey results.

“If I’d pick anywhere in North Carolina, I’d pick Charlotte or the Durham-Chapel Hill areas,” he said. “I don’t think of Raleigh as being active and very progressive in the gay rights movement.”

Contact the State and National Editor at state@dailytarheel.com.