Wedding Trade Expects Boost From Gay-Marriage Laws

To nobody's surprise, ABC News has this here article about the business boost expected from gay marriage being legalized in the states of Maine, Maryland and Washington. Here's some of it:

Nearly 18,000 same-sex couples in those states will exchange vows in the first three years after the new laws are in effect, estimated The Williams Institute, a national think tank at the UCLA School of Law, and the laws should generate at least $166 million in wedding spending in the three states over the next three years from in-state couples alone, boosting tax revenues and creating new jobs.
Wedding-related spending for in-state couples is projected be about $16 million in Maine, $63 million in Maryland and $89 million in Washington.

The numbers go up when figuring in out-of-staters who travel to those states to be wed. In Maine, for instance, the new law could boost the state economy by $25 million and create up to 250 new jobs in the coming three years, said Lee Badgett, research director at the Williams Institute and an economics professor at the University of Massachusetts.

Make sure to read the whole article. This is another blow in the face of hate groups whose rhetoric often includes how harmful gay marriage is for small businesses.

"Every Time People Have Voted on Gay Marriage, They Have Voted Against It... Update: Never Mind!"

Nobody can deny that marriage equality won on Tuesday, or that it won in a dramatic reversal of the trend. The biggest argument hate groups have used - that it's all the workings of us evil homofascist, helped by "activist judges and politicians", and that when the people have a say, they reject it - was not just tentatively dented, it was crashed, killed and destroyed in an across the board landslide that left no room for doubt and no way to call it a fluke - in FOUR states people were asked to stand with marriage equality or against it, and in ALL FOUR they chose to stand on the side of justice and human dignity. It is a resounding defeat of bigotry that has already changed the marriage discourse forever, and will have serious implications in future fights.

Meanwhile, hate groups, GOP nut jobs and self-appointed Christian Neanderthal moralists all across America are - as Joe hilariously puts it - "having the sadz", and whining their precious hearts out. They were outspent, the poor dears, after pouring millions into pointless hatred. The Four were "deeply liberal". It was an "uphill battle". Gotta love a language change and role reversal. All in all, this is what Tony Perkins, Maggie Galaghar, Brian Brown and the ever so magically quaffed Kalley Yanta have to say about what happened on November 6:

Yes, I feel not a shred of graciousness in myself right now. Victory tastes good!

A Dramatic Win For Justice, Vision And Equality

Two months ago I made the decision to stop blogging until the 2012 Election was done. Too much information, too much static, too many barbs thrown in all directions. Now that the craze is over though, and I've come down from the full body orgasm high from Tuesday, I can resume programming.

WE WON!

All across the board we won. Our President, out senators, our rights won in a way that not even I expected. The American people said a resounding NO to fear mongering, religious bigotry and the unquestioned superiority of rich white males.

I could gush all over our victories (and i will in another post about our Four Out of Four historic triumph), but instead, I'll just leave you with this here video in which the love of my life Rachel Maddow summarizes all that went well on Nov. 6. Enjoy.

Marriage Equality News 02.13.2012

Today, at 11:30 local time, governor Christine Gregoire signed the bill for marriage equality, turning it into law for the state of Washington. Of course, things won't be finalized until the November ballot (gotta love the decades long dying convulsions of the anti-gay movement... No, wait, you don't have to love them...), but even so, this is a huge success and by the end of the year will turn Washington into the seventh state to recognize and perform gay marriage. Also, make sure you go to Joe.My.God to see Gregoire's speech. It's really touching, and I had tears in my eyes during most of it.

Also today, the NJ senate passed their own marriage equality bill with 24-16. It is expected to pass even easier in the state Assembly. Governor Chris Christie however has promised a veto, should the bill reach his desk. I am thoroughly in love with the thrashing The New York Times has given him:

A strong vote in favor of same-sex marriage in the state’s House and Senate would be a legislative achievement, and it would help set the stage to overriding a veto, as promised by Gov. Chris Christie. In light of the week’s good news from California and Washington, Mr. Christie’s vow to block the bill in New Jersey seems not only disgraceful, but against the tide of history.

And last but not least, the lovely map at the top of this post is courtesy of Marriage Equality USA (click the link for the large version), that I found on Joe.My.God.

Washington Bill for Marriage Equality to be Signed on Monday

Governor Christine Gregoire will sign the gay marriage bill on Monday, turning it into law. That sets the clock ticking for all the "protectors" to start frantically collecting signatures (which they aren't allowed to do before the bill is turned into law) to put the issue on the November ballot.