Here’s my current theory: gay marriage can save the economy.
The average wedding in the US is well into the $20k range, before you start counting the gifts. If spending is good for the economy, weddings are good for the economy, and we should have more of them. However, the wedding industry is in stasis: people are getting married later, and more reluctantly.
Some in the industry blame low-cost competition but that’s not the heart of the problem. The real blocker on demand for weddings is over-regulation.
Oh neoliberals, where are you now? There’s a whole class of citizenry with oceans of pent-up demand just waiting to spend spend spend, and here are unnecessary, intrusive laws blocking the unfettered commerce of the American wedding industry. The engine of economic growth is firmly in our grasp: we have only to open the throttle!
On the other hand, maybe we need to legalize gay sex before we get to recognizing unions.
Secretly Ironic 
Even getting married *reluctantly* lands you 30 G’s in the hole. Lately I feel like I’m single-handedly floating the greater New England economy with my discriminating chair cover selections. The ironies here: Most of our vendors are fantabulously gay, and our ceremony is also being performed by a gay friend, with Mitt Romney’s approval (well, we did have to supply Mitt with $25 and a written “character reference” for our friend). I cringe as I address invites to friends who are gay, wondering if they hate us for doing this when they themselves legally cannot, even though most of them have been in longer-term relationships than we have. Maybe the best solution would be a breeder wedding strike until the laws are changed. Wish I’d thought of that 8 months ago. 😦
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