Marriage equality springs forward. April was a banner month for marriage equality with wins in the courts in Iowa, the Senate in Vermont, and announcements from the officials of the District of Columbia that all marriages performed in other states, regardless of the sexual orientation of the individuals involved, will be recognized in the nation’s capitol. Finally, LGBT people can work in D.C. and don’t have to choose between helping their country and protecting their families (a conundrum still faced by LGBT servicemembers in the U.S. Military). If April showers of marriage equality wasn’t reason enough to declare April Gay Pride Month, May brought us more wedding flowers in Maine.

And if all those successes weren’t cause enough to celebrate the cultural sea change, the welcoming of gay families to the White House’s annual Easter egg roll highlighted the differences between the current administration that values our diversity as Americans and the previous one that sought to erase not only our rights, but our place in the fabric of our country.

Equality is Paying Dividends
While we may be in tough economic times, the dividends we are reaping from our investment in equality is truly worth everyone’s time and energy. Not to mention, we continue to see that equality has serious economic rewards that benefit everyone. The Williams Institute found that allowing same-sex couples to marry in Iowa meant an additional five million dollars for the state on means-tested programs. That, plus the fact that Iowa does not have residency requirements for couples who want to tie the knot means that along with corn and soybeans, marriage equality is going to be a cash crop for Iowans. I can verify from my recent trip to Des Moines that the food is great, the people kind, and the landscape easy on the eyes. In today’s busy and over-priced world, why not spend your honeymoon in the heartland where you can relax and get the biggest bang for your buck?

And the Buck Doesn’t Stop There
The United States Congressional Budget Office did a report in 2004 and found that denying same-sex couples the right to marry costs tax payers one billion dollars annually. I don’t know about you, but I can see those GEICO ads with the stack of dollar bills and the eyeballs on them, and the money is saying “This is the money you could save if you allowed same-sex couples to marry.”

I’d happily change to equality and save our country money in return for receiving our equal rights. I’m also willing to take the marriage tax penalty, which this year would have meant paying Uncle Sam an additional $1,000, if it means I can stop paying my tax preparer to complete double the number of tax forms and no longer have to check “single” after being with my wife for over twelve years. Those benefits, coupled with knowing that I can still have spousal hospital visitation rights regardless of what state I’m in, would be worth giving the country an extra billion dollars a year.

For those OCD types, you can find this information at: http://www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/home.html
and http://www.cbo.gov