Little gay house on the prairie

摘要

FOR MORE than a decade, America's most prominent gay family have lived on abc. Gay and lesbian television characters were once such a rare sight that glaad, an advocacy group, began an annual count, as if it were tracking an endangered species. Now millions tune in to "Modem Family" to see how Cam and Mitch are getting on raising their adopted daughter. Their portrayal of gay domesticity has been credited with helping to change attitudes and with boosting support for same-sex marriage. One poll found it was the third most popular show among Republican voters. Yet such families are not only the preserve of Los Angeles, where the show is set. Indeed, though data are imperfect, academic studies suggest that a greater proportion of same-sex couples have children in southern states and in the Mountain West than on the coasts. Overall, more such families live in cities like Los Angeles and New York, since these have far higher gay populations. But same-sex couples who live inland seem most likely to plump for family life. Academics expect the results from the latest census, forms for which are due to land in mailboxes by March 20th, to fit the same pattern.