Massachusetts has already seen over 10,000 gay weddings since the unions were legalized in 2004. And now that the state has repealed its 1913 law barring out-of-state couples from getting married there, Massachusetts expects gay marriages will pump an additional $111 into the state economy -- plus another $5 million in marriage license fees and sales and occupancy taxes -- in just the next three years.
Connecticut, where gay marriages became legal last month, could expect to see anywhere from $3 million to $13 million over the next three years.
And if California voters hadn't approved Proposition 8 last month, halting same-sex marriages in the state, California was expected to see an influx of $684 million into its economy over the first three years such marriages were recognized -- and $65 million in fees and taxes to the state.
And according to the Congressional Budget Office, if all 50 states and the federal government were to legalize same-sex marriages, gay weddings would generate almost $1 billion a year.
It's hard to imagine gay marriage shifting from a moral issue to an economic development one (although isn't that what happened with lotteries in many states?).
Meanwhile, for a light-hearted (and I guess not entirely safe-for-work) take on all this, check out this clip from FunnyorDie.com, "Prop. 8: The Musical." In it, the cast (a lot of whom you'll probably recognize) convinces supporters of California's Proposition 8 to drop their opposition to same-sex unions because, as they sing, "gay marriages will save the economy."
Or you can watch the video here:
See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die
