Experts see windfall from marriage ruling
Posted on May 28, 2008
Filed Under Gay News Blog
The state Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of gay marriage is not only a boon for same-sex couples. The decision is also seen as an economic windfall for government coffers, tourism destinations, and all manner of businesses catering to wedding needs, from formalwear designers and planners to jewelers and florists.
Just how significant is the court’s historic ruling to the state’s economy and tourism trade? Eleven minutes after the decision was posted to the court’s Web site Thursday, May 15, the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau zapped reporters with a press release hailing the justices’ 4-3 ruling.
The statement was one of, if not the, first to be sent out. In it, SFCVB President and CEO Joe D’Alessandro said the city is proud to welcome LGBT “couples to the first city in the United States to perform same-sex marriages and the only state in the U.S. where everyone has a constitutional right to marry.”
And should anyone miss the point, the release quoted D’Alessandro as saying, “We encourage visitors to celebrate the freedom to marry in San Francisco – where LGBT history continues to be made.”
As the state grapples with a $17 billion budget deficit, it also came as no surprise to see Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger issue a statement – also within minutes of the court’s ruling being announced – saying that he would uphold the court’s decision. On average nationally, people spend about $25,000 on their weddings and a portion of that cost goes toward paying taxes to the state and local government coffers.
See Experts see windfall from marriage ruling
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