The New Green

I believe god is green. Oh, not green like environmentally friendly, although I think she might care a bit about the planet. No, I mean green like money. And since god is green, then what better way to get things done around here for the LGBT community. What better way to show people that their intolerance, bigotry, hatred, and downright stupidity, is keeping down their earning potential.

See, not only is god green, but gay is, too.

God. Gay. Green. Hmmmmmm.

There is talk that the movement toward marriage equality in New England, except for you, Rhode Island, for shame, could deliver an economic boom to the region by attracting a "creative class" of workers to an area of the country with an aging population.

In the past year, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine have joined Massachusetts--the first state to allow marriage equality way back in Aught-Four--in welcoming gay and lesbian marriages. That makes the region the first in the United States where same-sex couples can move from one state to another while retaining marriage benefits.

So, gay couples are flocking to New England, not because of the weather--it can get cold up that'a'way--and not just because of the scenery--which is breathtaking. No, they're moving up there simply because they can get married and live the life to which all Americans should be entitled.

And now comes talk of using marriage quality as a recruiting tool for colleges and universities. I mean, wouldn't you rather attend a school in a state where you're accepted, treated and respected under the law like everybody else? And businesses such as health care and financial institutions that dominate the region are also looking good to gay men and women.

Gay is the new green. And this isn't just wishful thinking.

Same-sex couples were 2.5 times more likely to move to Massachusetts since it granted marriage equality than they had been prior to the change. According to a study released by the Williams Institute of the University of California, new arrivals to the northeast are more likely to be younger and female than before same-sex marriage was approved.

And their research shows that heterosexual members of the so-called "creative class"--financial geniuses, software programmers and educators--find states that allow marriage equality more appealing places to live.

More green reasons to be gay in New England.

In Massachusetts, the 12,000-plus same-sex couples that have wed, and their guests, spent about $111 million on weddings, flowers, cakes and hotel rooms. And in the long run, many of these couples chose to stay in a states where they are accepted rather than move back to states where their marriage is not recognized. See, f

orty-two of the 50 U.S. states have laws on their books prohibiting same-sex marriages.

Massachusetts has shown us a hundred-million green reasons for gay to be okay.

That's why I think gay is the new green, and that god might also be green to a lot of people who now see marriage equality as an economic boost. When these folks get down on their knees each night and pray to their god, when they see those dollar signs, they might just come to see that gay isn't so bad after all.

It might even be good. For business.

Six by Twelve

Gay marriage backers target New England Foes brace for a fight
Valerie Richardson
Sunday, January 4, 2009

Two New England states have already legalized same-sex marriage, and a Boston-based advocacy group wants to see the other four join them. Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, known as GLAD, has launched a first-of-its-kind regional campaign aimed at winning approval for same-sex marriage in the six-state New England region by 2012.

Same-sex marriage is already legal in Connecticut and Massachusetts, a result of court decisions in cases brought by GLAD lawyers. The 2003 Massachusetts decision was the first in the nation, while the Connecticut ruling went into effect Nov. 12.

"We can make New England a marriage-equality zone by strategically combining existing legal, electoral and on-the-ground know-how to fast-track marriage in every New England state," GLAD Executive Director Lee Swislow said. "By 2012, we not only can have marriage equality throughout New England, we can have a road map for the rest of the country."

But proponents of traditional marriage say the organization may be setting itself up for defeat. Even in liberal New England, persuading four more states to sign off on same-sex marriage won't be a slam dunk, especially if it involves moving through the state legislatures, said Peter Sprigg, vice president for policy at the Family Research Council. "I'm skeptical that they'll be able to win same-sex marriage in all six states by 2012. Public opinion continues to be much more resistant than homosexual activists are willing to admit," Mr. Sprigg said. "We saw that in California with Proposition 8."

Indeed, the gay-marriage movement is still smarting from its stinging defeat in November, when California voters passed Proposition 8, a state constitutional amendment that overturned a state Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage. That wasn't the impetus behind Six by Twelve. The campaign is pegged to the fifth anniversary of Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, the Massachusetts case. But advocates did say it was important to remain active in Proposition 8's aftermath.

"The timing [after Proposition 8] wasn't part of the plan, because the plan for Six by Twelve preceded Proposition 8. But I can see how folks would get comfort from this after what happened in California," said Alison Cashin, GLAD's manager of public education. "It's a big defeat, but California is one state."
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I love the idea of Six By Twelve, and I don't think the recent passage of H8 in California has much to do with this movement.

First of all, we've seen gay marriage legalized in Massachusetts in 2003, and Connecticut on November 12, 2008, without the interference of Mormon dollars and anti-gay fear-mongering. And I haven't heard of civilization coming to an end, or of any straight marriage suddenly deemed 'less than.' I don't believe they are teaching Queer 101 in the schools, and no one has spontaneously burst into flames. So maybe the good people of the Northeast are doing something right; setting an example.

Now as for Mr. Sprigg of the Family Research Council: Please stop the use of the words 'traditional marriage.' Marriage has continually evolved from a polygamist ideal 5,000 years ago to where it stands today--for the time being; it is anything but traditional because no two marriages are alike. And please, refrain from the use of the word 'homosexual' because we all know that by using that word you put all the emphasis, everything that gay people are, and do, and feel, into sex. We aren't just about the sex, Mr. Sprigg, we're about equality.

I think Six By Twelve could become a movement; it could become Fifty By It's About Damn Time!