Midwest gets gay

The number of same-sex couples in Iowa has risen 58% in the past 5 years, a new report found today.

The University of California’s Williams Institute used the figures of the 2000 Census to estimate that the numbers of same-sex households in Iowa jumped from 3,700 in 2000, to 5,800 in 2005.

The states of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Nebraska also saw their same-sex numbers rising with increases of more than 70 percent.

Researcher Gary Gates said that checking the box on the Census was a new way of coming out. He said one of the reasons for big increases in the Midwest is it has “one of the biggest closets.”