In light of the gay marriage amendment’s passing in Texas, it’s interesting to look at statistics on how the marriage ban affects Latino gay and lesbian couples. A new study from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force does just that:

The policy implications vary according to the findings. According to Cianciotto, the analysis of the income data revealed that Hispanic same-sex couples may be even more affected by the inability to marry than comparable white non-Hispanic couples because of several factors—including the facts that they earn less, are less likely to own a home and are even more likely to report a disability. The report stated that access to the marriage’s “1,138 federal protections and benefits” would certainly help Hispanic couples buy homes and provide for their children.

The study also found that

Hispanic same-sex couples live in the same areas of the country where most Hispanic Americans live, with the highest concentrations in California, Florida, the New York City metropolitan area and Texas.

As of yesterday, one of the states with the highest concentration of Latino same-sex couples now bans marriage outright. It’s important for those of us in our liberal ivory towers of major metropolitan cities to remember that not all places are so tolerant, and that living in a same-sex partnership can be not only difficult, but dangerous.It’s important for those of us in our liberal ivory towers of major metropolitan cities to remember that not all places are so tolerant, and that living in a same-sex partnership can be not only difficult, but dangerous.

Speaking of danger, I found this piece of information particularly interesting:

Hispanic women in same-sex couples serve in the military at six times the rate of those who are in heterosexual married relationships ( 6 percent vs. 1 percent ) —and at six times the rate of all women across the country.

Via / Windy City Times