The V-Day Special: My dating pool

Since it’s V-Day I thought I’d go for a V-Day themed post. Inspired by an awesome program on NPR about being single I thought I’d do some math. I always joke about my dating pool being small. Let’s see exactly how small…

Population of Seattle (lets not even try with Tacoma): 600,000

Say half of them are women: 300,000

Percent gay population is 5%: 15,000 gay

Per one study 30% GLBT population is in a committed relationship, leaving me: 4500 single gay women in Seattle

Now I don’t date babies or elderly women so my age range, generously 20-45 maybe 1/3 of population: 1350 single, gay, women in Seattle that it would be at least legal to date

One of my most important criteria is education. I may be at an advantage here because the percentage of college educated LGBT folks was actually higher than the rest of the population in one study, 37% vs. 25%. However, that study was limited to one city (Chicago) and didn’t break it down by gender. Plus, given the level of youth homelessness in the LGBT community I estimate it actually might not be so high. So lets average that out to 30%: 405 educated, gay, women 20-45 years old in Seattle

Now… lets say I don’t want a smoker. Gross. LGBT folks smoke more than others, over 30%. That leaves me: 121 single, educated, gay women 20-45 in Seattle who don’t smoke.

Then, if I were to listen to Mom, lets find a nice Jewish girl: 2 women in my dating pool in Seattle Metro Area (actually its 2.43).

And that's not even starting to account for interests, belief systems, or incarceration!

And you thought YOUR dating pool was small!

(if I can, I'll post some links in for references later...)

VD, not just an STD

I'm not going to go on and on about VD. How it's a construct of consumerism, yadda-yadda. Actually, to be completely honest, I don't mind constructed corporate holidays. They are holidays after all. Sometimes they are a day off of work, sometimes they are just an excuse for consumerism. Either way, I am not anti-VD because it's "made up" or "a vehicle to make money" because, if you really sit down and think about it, all holidays are "made up" and every single one of them, yes, even Flag Day, invites the greedy little mouths of capitalism to bite in.

I don't like VD because it's very anti single. Sure we can recognize our friends, send love to family. But really, don't we all know deep down inside that valentines day hype is all about romantic love? Hell yeah. So those romantically-starved folks out there are looking at the little hearts and flowers everywhere thinking, "Jeez, why can't it just be Groundhogs day again? That was more fun. And they are much cuter than fat babies with weapons." I know I am.

Bah humbug VD.