A 2006 report issued by The Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation concluded that the number of same-sex couples in the U.S. grew from nearly 600,000 in the year 2000 to almost 777,000 by 2005. A 2011 report by the Institute estimated that 4 million adults identify as gay or lesbian. Whether you believe the number of people willing to proclaim they are lesbian has grown, or the number of women who prefer relationships with other women has actually expanded – the significance of these numbers remains exactly the same. The size of the open and out lesbian dating pool is more than six times the size of what it was only a handful of years ago.

The outspoken LGBT community is also becoming a decisive force in matters as far ranging as political campaigns and media marketing campaigns. In fact, The New York Times recently reported that “Mr. Obama’s more than three-to-one edge in exit polls among the 5 percent of voters who identified as gay, lesbian or bisexual was more than enough to give him the ultimate advantage, according to the study, by Gary J. Gates of the Williams Institute at the U.C.L.A. School of Law, in conjunction with Gallup.

Now a number of online dating communities specifically aimed at servicing the LGBT community are vying for attention and hoping to become mainstays with enthusiastic niche support from like-minded segments of gay and lesbian society. Here are some of the premier gay and lesbian dating services worthy of your consideration:

Lesbian And Bisexual Women Dating

Girlfriends Meet has established itself as a primary portal for many lesbian or bisexual women seeking women online. The size of their community continues to grow and a healthy attention to detail by site moderators appears to be fostering growth without any loss of intimacy among visitors or members. “We focus on key metrics of our community that allow us to identify people who contribute too much negativity or spoil the fun of others” said Sheila Jackson, Orientation Supervisor of GirlfriendsMeet.com “What we have learned is that the pool of potential lesbian dating enthusiasts is very large and moderating our site attracts far more participants than it dissuades because we can enhance the overall user experience by focusing on the quality of our interface and our membership alike.”

Gay Men And Mobile Internet Users

Grindr.com is focused entirely on the community of gay men seeking immediate local response from a growing community of males in the mood for romance. A state of the art mobile app allows members to find each other in real-time based on proximity with visual browsing of profiles and online chat functionality. “The political gains made by the gay community in recent years have been great, but it remains awkward that heterosexuals insist on grouping gay men and lesbian women together as a single demographic” said Roger K., an avid Grindr member. “What gay men want and what lesbian women want is quite often very different. That’s why you are unlikely to see a successful version of ‘Grindr for Women’ or ‘Girlfriends Meet for Men’ any time soon.

One thing is certain, men and women of all orientations are finally finding the digital tools they want to build and maintain romantic relationships with dating enthusiasts who share their own specific sensibilities.