The economics of gay weddings

That's weddings, not marriages. Here are a few facts:

1. One estimate puts the size of the gay community in the U.S. at 14 to 16 million, with a projected buying powr of $485 billion.

2. As many as six million gay people live with same-sex partners. Marketers believe gays to have higher-than-average disposable incomes.

3. 2.3 million (heterosexual) couples marry a year, and spend about $50 billion on their weddings.

4. The average heterosexual wedding is estimated to cost $22,000 an event, the average gay wedding costs slightly less at $15,000 [do fewer people come? are fewer people invited?].

5. The not-so-small wedding industry is showing increasing support for the gay marriage idea. Check out these advertisements.

6. Tourist boards in Scandinavia, where gay marriage faces a relatively liberal legal treatment, view gay marriage as a marketing opportunity.

7. Gay marriage websites are proliferating, for instance RainbowWeddingNetwork.com and Alternate Weddings.

8. "Gay Wedding Expos" are popping up around the country, drawing tourist dollars.

The above facts are taken from Sunday's Orlando Sentinel, "Gays are Booming Market for Wedding Industry," not currently on-line.

My take: The mass media and entertainment sectors, motivated by commercial pressures, already have led the mainstreaming of gay America. Business lobbies represent some of the most effective spokespeople for the gay marriage idea.

By the way, are you worried about the federal deficit? Legalizing gay marriage, through the tax law, could well yield over $1 billion in tax revenue.