NJ firms would make big money if gay marriage is allowed

Study: NJ firms would make big money if gay marriage is allowed
December 13, 2006, 2:48 PM ESTLOS ANGELES -- New Jersey florists, caterers, hotels and other businesses would bring in more than $100 million in additional revenue per year if the state allowed gay couples to marry there, according to a study by researchers at UCLA. The study was released Wednesday and appears to be on the verge of making a moot point. Both houses of the New Jersey state Legislature were expected to pass a bill Thursday allowing civil unions, giving gay couples in the state all the legal protections of marriage without calling it marriage. The study's author, M.V. Lee Badgett, of the Williams Institute for Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy, figured that half of New Jersey's 16,600 gay couples, plus more than 16,000 from neighboring New York and Pennsylvania and nearly 43,000 from around the country would tie the knot in the Garden State over three years. The financial impact of civil unions was not addressed in the study. However, it is expected that some couples may still have wedding-like ceremonies and some may still travel from other states to register. While it might not be many couple's dream destination for a wedding, New Jersey would have a corner on the market if lawmakers reversed course and allowed gay marriages. Currently, 45 states have laws or constitutional amendments that bar gay marriage. Only Massachusetts allows same-sex couples to marry, but it prohibits couples whose marriages would not be recognized in their home state from marrying there _ a factor that has limited wedding tourism there. The study figured that New Jersey gay couples would spend an average of $9,000 on their weddings. Out-of-staters would spend between $3,500 and $4,200 to marry, depending on how far they have to travel. The total revenue generated in the state would be $307 million over three years. The state's take in sales taxes would be at least $7 million per year.
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