Legalizing Gay Marriage Could Boost Virginia's Economy

Our DC Marriage Certificate - Virginia is across the Potomac in the background

Not only does Virginia's anti-gay animus motivated Marshall-Newman Amendment cause talented gays and liberal Millennials to leave Virginia, but it also is a drain on Virginia's economy.  Or at least that is the conclusion of a think tank that has evaluated the economic cost of Virginia's anti-gay bigotry. Having married in Washington, D.C., myself I can attest to the fact that the DC economy benefited from Virginia's bigotry in the form of expenditures made in Washington rather than here in Virginia.  Given the number of friends getting married outside of Virginia, the dollar amount truly adds up.  Here are highlights from the Richmond Times Dispatch:

A report by a think tank at UCLA says legalizing gay marriages in Virginia could generate up to $60 million in spending in three years.

The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law estimates that about 7,000 same-sex couples may choose to get married in Virginia within three years of a change in law.

The report says the increased spending on wedding arrangements and by tourists would likely generate up to $3.2 million in state and local tax revenue.

The Republic provides additional details:

The report also estimates that Virginia has already likely lost tens of millions of dollars in spending and more than $1 million in tax revenue as same-sex couples decided to marry in Washington, D.C. and other states where it's been legalized.

"This report clearly shows that allowing lesbian and gay couples to marry in Virginia is not only the right thing to do, but would also have a positive impact on our economy," James Parrish, executive director of Equality Virginia, said in a statement Tuesday.

"The ban is not only hurting loving lesbian and gay couples in Virginia - it is also hurting our economy. This report shows that all Virginians would benefit from marriage equality."

The report estimates that same-sex couples in Virginia would spend about $7,000 per wedding, which is significantly less than the $28,000 spent on the typical wedding in Virginia. The report says the estimated price tag is lower, in part, because same-sex couples receive less support from their parents. Based on Massachusetts' experience, the report estimates that each same-sex wedding would include 16 out-of-state guests.

The report says the increased spending on wedding arrangements and tourism would create between 459 and 595 jobs within three years.

Virginia is missing out on economic benefit and losing contributing members of society all so that hate filled bigots like Del. Bob Marshall and Victoria Cobb - and black pastors who act like white Christofascists trained circus dogs - can feel superior and avoid facing the fact that their ignorance embracing form of Christianity is dying - largely because of them.

New York to Get Billion-Dollar Gay-Wedding Boost

New York City is one of the places the boyfriend and I visit yearly - typically in September when Hampton holds its "Hampton Bay Days" weekend festival and he needs to close the salon down for four days due to crowds and blocked off streets. This year, we have another reason to look on New York fondly: we can get married there if we so desire and can pretend while we are there that we are almost full U.S. citizens. We are hardly alone in making the trip from Virginia and with gay marriage soon to be legal, estimates indicate that New York State can expect a huge financial windfall as out of state LGBT couples travel to New York to get married. The result, of course, is a net financial drain from their bigoted and backward home states. Perhaps as much as billion dollars flowing to New York and out of states like Virgina. Bigotry does indeed carry a financial price. Here are highlights from a Daily Beast article that looks at the likely financial gain coming to New York:
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There’s never been a better time to be a wedding planner in New York. Aside from the social or political impact of the state legalizing gay marriage late last week, the rise in weddings will offer an unprecedented boost to the bottom line of every business involved in the wedding industry. More weddings mean more business for hotels, reception venues, caterers, airlines, bakeries, and boutiques.
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Considering New York City’s ingrained tourism appeal, the state’s most populated city is certain to become a destination for thousands of American same-sex couples wanting to wed. “Of course there will be a rush of City Hall weddings,” says Roney, “creating a mini gay Vegas.” The city’s official tourism arm, NYC & Co. is already developing a global marketing campaign to encourage tourists to say “I Do” in the Big Apple.
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So how much will this mean for the Empire State? Officially, a report from the Independent Economic Conference projected that same-sex unions would generate about $284 million in additional wedding revenue and tourism and put another $27 million in taxes and license fees into the state’s coffers over the next three years.
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But these figures are—intentionally—very conservative, using an average spend of $4,000 per wedding. Given that the average wedding in New York City costs about $70,000, while national average spend is closer to $30,000, according to The Knot, the impact is likely to be far, far bigger. Using the IDC’s estimate of 66,000 couples to marry in the next three years, that means at least $2 billion will be spent on same-sex weddings. Add in the amount spent on wedding rings and on gifts from guests, and the total injected income will average nearly $1 billion a year for the next few years.
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[T]he added dollars from tourism are enough to create and sustain more than 2,000 additional jobs, according to The Williams Institute.
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Of course, just as there are lots of local winners, there are more losers (from an economic standpoint). As thousands of couples descend on the Empire State to say their vows, their home states are missing out on the millions they spend. It seems even in marriage, there’s a first-mover advantage.

Iowa: More Out-of-State Gay Residents Marry than Gay Residents

The Des Moines Register is reporting that 2,020 same sex couples married in Iowa since last April when same sex marriage became legal in Iowa. That number represents more than all marriages performed in Iowa during that time period. Obviously, there is a demand for marriage in the heartland and I can only suspect that Iowa has benefited from the marriages of roughly 1,200 out-of-state same sex couples. Here in Christianist dominated Virginia, LGBT couples must travel to Washington, D.C, and other destinations to marry - taking and spending money that might otherwise boost Virginia's economy in those alternate destinations. Again, religious based bigotry does have a financial cost. Here are some story highlights:
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A new report from the Iowa Department of Public Health says 2,020 same-sex marriages were recorded in the state from April 27, 2009, through March 31, 2010. Only 815 of the couples were from Iowa. The newly married included 199 gay couples from Illinois, 158 from Missouri and 111 from Nebraska.
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Overall, 19,904 couples were married in Iowa during the time period. Of those, 2,020 were listed as “same gender” couples, 16,869 were listed as “opposite gender” and 1,015 were listed as “not stated.” Among gay couples getting married here, 728 were two men, and 1,292 were two women.
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Polk County had the most gay marriages, with 484; Scott County had 238; Johnson County had 235; and Pottawattamie County had 222.

Gay Marriage May be Economic Boon to California

Even though unfortunately the anti-gay constitutional amendment has apparently received enough signatures to be placed on the California ballot in Novemeber and, if passed by voters, potentially overturn the historic May 15, 2008 ruling of the Californai Supreme Court, as this Los Angeles Times article indicates, gay marriage could bring lots of financial benefit to the state. One can only hope that many Californians will vote against the proposed amendment not only because it is the right thing to do, but also because it is the smart thing to economically. Here are highlights from the LA Times:

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Forget economic stimulus checks. Same-sex marriages may give California just the financial boost it needs.Wedding planners, bakers and hotels began booking more business almost immediately after the state Supreme Court's May 15 decision overturning a ban on gay marriage. Citing pent-up demand, one UCLA study projects that same-sex unions could provide a $370-million shot in the arm to the state economy over the next three years.

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PlanetOut, a media and entertainment company that conducts surveys about gay and lesbian consumers, says gay consumers earn 20% more than their straight counterparts, on average, and spend about 10% more on nuptials.The court ruling comes at a good time for many small wedding-related businesses, which are finding that their traditional customers are spending less on weddings because of the economy."Brides are being more frugal with things they don't see as a priority," said Richard Markel, president and director of the Assn. for Wedding Professionals International.

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.V. Lee Badgett, research director at the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy at the UCLA School of Law, estimates that gay weddings could provide a $370-million boost to the state economy.That estimate presumes that about half of California's 92,000 same-sex couples will tie the knot, multiplied by $8,040, the amount of money from savings accounts that Badgett figures same-sex couples will use on their weddings.Event planners, restaurants, tent and chair rental companies, florists, caterers and hotels should all get a piece of that pie, she said.