The Business Boost from Marriage Equality
Change.org and Tips-Q.com
by Michael A. Jones
May 31, 2009

Since today is the last day of May 2009, we wanted to take a quick second to acknowledge that this month marks five years of marriage equality in Massachusetts. Earlier this month we wrote a post about this, and mentioned that a new study out from UCLA's Williams Institute shows that Massachusetts has reaped some significant economic benefits after deciding to legalize same-sex marriage.

This is yet another example of why it's not only in the best interest of civil rights to enact marriage equality, it's also a smart economic move.

This article on MassLive.com goes into more detail about the study. They point out that the economic gains related to marriage equality certainly aren't enough to pull a state out of a recession. But they are substantial, nonetheless.

Do the math: More weddings mean more money. People buy gowns and wedding cakes and rent tuxedoes and limousines. Guests check into hotels. The study estimates that same-sex marriage has led to a positive impact to the Massachusetts economy of approximately $111 million over the last four and a half years.

Later this week, most likely on Wednesday, the New Hampshire legislature will decide whether to send a final marriage equality bill to Governor John Lynch, which he has said he will sign. The NH legislature would be keen to study the economic impacts that same-sex marriage has had in Massachusetts. NH may become the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage. They would also likely become the sixth state to see economic gains because of this equal rights decision.

To view the study conducted by the Williams Institute, "The Business Boost from Marriage Equality," click here (PDF document). We can't stress this enough: The Williams Institute is doing ground-breaking work. Some people say it's shrewd to tie the economy to human rights decisions like same-sex marriage. They're sort of right...but then again, it's also a rare circumstance when a decision to maximize profit aligns with a decision to protect civil rights. And in the end, that seems like something to celebrate.