Des Moines Register: Marriage Ruling May Boost Iowa Economy

As the wingnuts of the Christian Right continue to have conniption fits and vent over the unanimous ruling of the Iowa Supreme Court on Friday striking down the ban on gay marriage, some are rightly focusing on the benefits that equality under the civil laws might bring to the state's economy. Like other states that allow gay marriage, Iowa could soon find itself as a gay travel destination with increased revenues from tourism and spending on wedding related items. However, unlike Massachusetts and Connecticut which are relatively close to Canadian destinations where gay marriage is legal, Iowa will be an island in the center of the country where many who cannot afford a longer and more expensive trip out of the country or to New England can soon have marriages performed. Since it would take at least 3 years for any attempt to amend the Iowa Constitution to over rule the Supreme Court to succeed, gay marriage should have a longer life span than in California. Here are some highlights from the DesMoines Register:
*

Millions of dollars in tourism and tax revenue could flow into Iowa as a result of the Iowa Supreme Court's historic decision to legalize same-sex marriage, according to a range of scholars and business people.The unanimous but controversial ruling announced Friday overturned a 10-year-old ban on same-sex marriage and made Iowa the third state where gay marriage is legal.Iowa counties will begin to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples as early as this month.

*
Unlike Connecticut and Massachusetts - the other states that permit gay marriage - Iowa has no nearby competitors for same-sex couples who want to marry. Businesses could see $160 million in new wedding and tourism spending over the next three years, according to a study from researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles.
*

The study predicts that 2,917 same-sex Iowa couples will wed in the three years after the marriages are allowed to proceed. In addition, nearly 55,000 out-of-state couples could come to Iowa to get married, the study found. The ruling also could attract newcomers to the state, although some cautioned that the long-term impact remains unclear.Conservative critics argued that economics should not factor into an issue they view as an attack on traditional marriage and religious liberties.

*

[O]ver time, he [University of Iowa political scientist David Redlawsk] said, the ruling could create an atmosphere that attracts younger residents and the so-called "creative class." "It makes Iowa overall a more welcoming state," Redlawsk said. "That's a good thing from the standpoint of businesses who, frankly, are concerned about quality of life issues for their employees."A University of Iowa Hawkeye Poll released Friday found that 58.7 percent of Iowans under age 30 support gay marriage, and three-fourths favor some formal recognition of gay relationships.