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Loading ...New England may see long-term boost from gay marriage
06.05.2009 8:00am EDT
New England might attract a new, young, “creative class” – thanks to marriage equality in every state but Rhode Island.
“It will be a selling point when it comes to trying to lure people with same-sex partners who are being wooed for a job,” M.V. Lee Badgett, a University of Massachusetts economist who studies gay and lesbian issues, told Reuters.
Gay and lesbian couples who are part of the “creative class” – highly educated professionals, entrepreneurs and artists – were 2.5 times more likely to move to Massachusetts in the three years following the approval of same-sex marriage, according to a study released in May by the Williams Institute of the University of California.
The relocating couples were more likely to be younger and female than before same-sex marriage was approved.
Even straight members of the “creative class” regard states with marriage equality as more appealing places to live.
“It broadly suggests you have an environment in which people who are seen as different are accepted,” said Gary Gates, the UCLA demographer and the lead author of the study.
See the full Reuters story here.
This is already true in Massachusetts. They have benefited a-lot in the last few years financially and socially. Go MA! You are truly a great state!
It’s no doubt that New England will benefit substancially from Gay Marriage.
People with even half a brain cell realize that there is nothing wrong with Gays/Lesbians or their relationships. More often then not, we are AWESOME for a states economy. Most of us don’t have children, but pay for public school systems in our Property and State taxes. We shop, and most of us don’t do the Big-W, so the smaller shops in town benefit from our dollars. We tend to do better work on our properties then our hetero counterparts, therefore making our neighborhoods shine. Not to mention that many of us are attempting at lessening our carbon footprints at the same time.
My cousin lives in Jamaica Plain in the outskirts of Boston with his BF/Husband of 20 some-odd years. The neighborhood was a crap-shoot until Gays and Lesbians started to move in and secure and fix up the neighborhoods. Now…Their property values have sky-rocketed. They have gorgeous neighborhoods and a thriving little “downtown” area with great bakeries, natural food stores, food co-ops, and great little restaurants and coffee shops. It’s so nice and 5 minutes from the hubbub of Boston and on the T. Mind you, this was all prior to Gay Marriage in MA.
West Hartford CT and the West end of Hartford is on its way too.
Gay Marriage is not just good for the States, its good for the communities and the area business too!
It sounds great, but what are the the employment statistics and unemployment statistics of this region at the moment? Sure I want to have a legal marriage but if I am unemployed and the home market is cratered where is the incentive to invest in the area other than that? I think the economy really affects this decision more, this is just a greater benefit.
What is wrong with you Rhode Island?????, “come on board the marriage equality train” – THE SKY WILL NOT FALL!!!!!
As I have said and quoted before there are 26 reasons why marriage equality benefits EVERYONE – from the economy to peoples general heath and well-being. Remember you live longer when you marry!!!!!!!
What’s wrong with you Rhodes Island – cat got your toughn??????
Surely if it is good enough for Iowa, surely it is good enough for Rhode Island. 60 percent of people in Rhode Island SUPPORT marriage equality. My guess that Rhode Island must have a Republican Government in both houses and a Republican Govonor??????
I just signed this (my laws):
Marriage Banned For Criminals Act 2009
Section 1:
(i) “any individual person having any criminal record either currently and in the past is banned for life from getting a marriage license both civil and religious, having that license recognized by the Government even marriages both civil and religious performed in the past that were arranged and even getting married both civil and religious prior to the conviction or criminal record that was recovered or being filed”.
(ii) “all criminals, associates of criminals, criminal organizations and people with a past criminal record are herby banned for life from recognizing, arranging, abetting, performing, getting a marriage license both civil and religious themselves or performing a marriage that is a civil or religious marriage”.
(iii) “all marriages both civil and religious that were performed in the past prior to the criminal record being filed or possibly revoked will be automatically revoked and declared null and void.”
* Signed and Filed on 5 June 2009 at 11:29AM;
* Effective from 1 July 2009.
Remember Steve’s laws?????
Religious Bigot and Republican Marriage Ban Act 2009
Section 1: “any person having a religious belief that discriminates or forces a belief on to other individual persons on the basis of sexual orientation or gender is herby banned for life from arranging, performing and getting a marriage license themselves”.
Section 2: “any Republican party member who incites hatred, forces a belief on to other individual persons, any vilification, bigotry of any shape or form or even encourages statute or constitutional marriage bans on the basis of two people of the same-sex, but still allowing marriages between two people of the opposite-sex is herby banned for life from arranging, performing and getting a marriage license themselves”.
* Signed and Filed on 27 May 2009 at 3:17PM;
* Effective from 1 June 2009.
I hope marriage equality doesn’t get overturned in Maine. That’s where I might be relocating from California.
Robert, the anti SSM foes are already galvanizing to overturn Maine’s legislation. It could well happen.
We should counter it by seeking to overturn religious cults’ tax exempt status for meddling in the affairs of state. They pay no taxes, so they should not have any say as to who can marry and who cannot. They don’t own marriage and most definitely not civil marriage, the state does. Non-tax paying organizations should not be entitled to have a say in anything. Why should any of them be above the law and why are we protecting elitism and tolerating it? This is a secular country not a theocratic state and technically NOT a christian country since there is NO state religion of any kind, or is there when they’re allowed to defeat civil rights legislation?
The Rhode Island governor is a member of that hate group, National Organization for Marriage so you need to get rid of him, OR secure a veto-proof majority in the RI legislature.
Dear Paul of Oregon, your Religious Bigot and Republican Marriage Ban Act 2009 is wonderful! I think we should send this to every elected republican in congress. IT HITS THE NAIL ON THE HEAD!
Doesn’t anyone do research before writing this stuff???? New England is already known for the most educated as well as the healthiest folks in the US. The interior sections of the US are VERY scary. Larry the Cable Guy comes to mind.
I agree with Robert in hoping that Maine does not overturn equal rights. I’m a native of Colorado and hate that my fellow citizens pass our hate-mendment here. I’m an artist and would love to live and work in New England – give me and my partner a few more years to get more financially secure and Maine, here we come!
Rhode Island is an odd case. I always thought R.I. would be the FIRST state in the nation to have marriage equality, as I believe they were the very first state to ever have such legislation introduced in their state house, over ten years ago!
This was LONG before the concept was considered anything but fringe in even the rest of New England.
They also have a well loved, openly gay man as mayor of Providence.
To see them as the marriage equality hold out in New England now, is…strange.