By Associated Press
Springfield, IL – New U.S. Census figures show the number of Illinois households run by same-sex couples has jumped nearly 42 percent in the last decade. That's from nearly 23-thousand in 2000 to almost 32,500 last year. The trend in Illinois mirrors those nationwide. Experts and advocates say social attitudes toward same-sex couples are changing. Also, over the last decade Illinois has passed several laws for gay rights. Most recently, the state approved same-sex civil unions, which give gay couples many of the same rights as married couples. The census data released late yesterday shows a 53 percent jump in female couples since 2000. In 2000, most of the couples were male. But last year there were nearly even.