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Gay Marriage Will Make Us <em>All</em> Rich
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jun 19, 2011
Modified Jun 19, 2011
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jun 19, 2011
Modified Jun 19, 2011
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Though the vote has been stalled through the weekend, with the backing of New York's two most powerful people, Andrew Cuomo and Lady Gaga, marriage equality legislation still stands a better than decent chance of passing. And because people often need a financial incentive to do the right thing, the legalization of same-sex marriage is expected to generate $184 million for the state's economy, $142 million of that for New York City alone. "It's going to be a huge expanding market for all of us in the business," one glitzy wedding venue owner tells the Daily News. Sheesh can we at least pretend that we're thinking of true love and not cold hard cash, at least until the bill passes?
A 2007 study conducted by the former city controller indicated that 56,000 gay couples from outside the city would converge to be married here, and the average same-sex couple spends around $7,400 on their wedding. Massachusetts has experienced a $110 million windfall since legalizing marriage in 2004, and now currently has a historically-low divorce rate of 1.8 per 1,000 people, which is lower than the national divorce rate was in 1940. Gay marriage: it's lucrative AND wholesome.
Tagged
andrew cuomo
civil rights
equal protection under the law
gay marriage
lady gaga
marriage equality act
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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