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12/14/2006
It's not only just plain right, it's also profitable
A new study conducted by the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Public Policy predicts that if New Jersey were to legalize full marriage equality for gay couples (unlike the "separate but equal" civil unions that lawmakers are scheduled to approve today), local wedding and tourism-related businesses could benefit to the tune of $102.5 million per year for the first three years. And if that weren't enough of an economic windfall, the study also predicts that the Garden State’s gross receipt tax revenues would rise by $7.2 million per year in that same time period.
But hey, who needs full equality and an assload of cash when you can have a not-nearly-as-profitable alternate rights-providing system that keeps gay couples on a different playing field than their heterosexual peers? After all, what's $102.5 million compared to the priceless joy of having to explain to friends: "Oh, no, uhm, we're not actually married. We have the same rights as our heterosexual friends here, but we're actually 'civil unioned.' But it's okay, because we're sure the lawmakers had some reason for making us obtain a different license to gain the same rights. We're sure it has nothing to do with heterosexism. Honestly. We're fine with it. Here, wanna see my civil union ring?"
Money simply can't buy that kind of awkward conversation!
Economic Benefits from Same-Sex Weddings in New Jersey [Williams Institute/UCLA School of Law]
**Ed. note: Yes, we realize civil unions could still bring some $$$. But as study author M.V. Lee Badgett correctly points out:
"I think very few people will come from out of state to get a civil union,” ...“Other states have them now and very few come from out of state. It's not just about the benefits. Marriage is a deeply rooted ceremony. It's about status. Civil unions don't have all that historic and cultural meaning.”
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