There is a very strong correlation between education levels, and tolerance, inclusion and willingness to embrace difference," he said.
On the broader question of why Canberra attracts so many same-sex couples, Mr Barr has two answers.įirst, the ACT has the country's most-educated residents, by some margin. Same-sex couples by cityĪndrew Barr (right) and his partner Anthony Toms as the marriage survey results are announced in 2017.
This leads to very conservative estimates of the same-sex-attracted population, but it does allow some comparisons. We know this because, although the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) doesn't ask Australians about their sexual orientation, it uses their answers to other census questions to work out whether they live with a partner of the same sex. The odds are even higher for lesbians: the proportion of lesbian couples in the ACT (relative to all couples) is 65 per cent higher than the nationwide average. ACT couples are 50 per cent more likely to be same-sex couples than couples elsewhere in the country. When naming the world's great "rainbow cities", New York, San Francisco and Rio de Janeiro come to mind.Īnd of course Sydney, home of the annual Mardi Gras, which began as a protest and has become one of the planet's great open parties.īut statistically speaking, Canberra is Australia's real gay and lesbian capital - yes, normcore Canberra, with its politicians and suited bureaucrats.Īnd not just by a little.