Swedish lesbians more likely to wed than gay men

More female than male same-sex couples have chosen to marry since Swedish homosexuals were granted the legal right to marry on May 1st, 2009.

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Thirty-seven female couples have tied the knot since May, compared to 11 male couples, according to figures from Statistics Sweden (SCB).

In addition, the number of children of same-sex couples registered as under Sweden's domestic partnership law has increased tenfold over the last decade.

At the end of the 1990s, fewer than 70 children lived with parents who were registered domestic partners. In 2008, 749 children lived with same-sex couples who were registered partners.

A large majority of these children have two mothers, with 706 living with female same-sex couples, compared to 43 who have two fathers.

“If you want to be crass, you can say that it's easier for female same-sex couples to have children,” Ulrika Westerlund, vice chairman of the the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights (RFSL), told Svenska Dagbladet newspaper.

“Since 2002, same-sex couples have been allowed to adopt, but there hasn't been a single case that has been approved where it wasn't the adoption of a close relative.”