Same-sex marriage sure brought in a lot of cash since it was legalized in New York exactly a year ago today. To celebrate that fact, Mayor Bloomberg held a press conference in downtown Manhattan this morning, where he announced that—as expected—gay weddings have been great financially for the city and state. Good to know Albany didn’t go through all that trouble just because it was the right thing to do.
According to Bloomberg, gay weddings have earned the city $259,000,000 in hotel, printed invitation and party favor revenue, plus $16,000,000 in taxes. So the mayor was in a celebratory spirit this morning, telling reporters, “Marriage equality has made our city more open, inclusive and free, and it has done that while creating jobs and supporting our economy. In other words, it’s a win for everybody.” He even brought in a Chelsea florist whose been making bank off the weddings. "I’m so happy to see a lot of couples who have been together for 30-40 years finally being able to tie the knot," the florist declared. "We have customers from all over the country who come to the city for their destination weddings. I’m very grateful of behalf of all small business owners who benefit from weddings, same sex or otherwise. This has been great for us."
NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who married her partner earlier this year said, “I hope those that thought marriage equality was going to cause the end of the world see it has done quite the opposite. It has put people to work, helped restaurants and catering halls, and many others. But what you can’t quantify is the joy that it has brought so many couples and their families.”
Not content with the lucrative impact of same-sex marriage here, Bloomberg took the opportunity to remind everyone that the fight for equality isn't over until all married couples are recognized as legitimate by the Federal government, which could certainly use the money. Could same-sex marriage be the key to finally putting America back to work?
