Estimating the Economic Boost of Marriage for Same-Sex Couples in Louisiana
Extending marriage to same-sex couples in Louisiana would generate an estimated $28.3 million in spending to the state economy. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the most recent data available, 8,076 same-sex couples live in Louisiana. Of those couples, the Institute estimates that fifty percent (4,038 couples) would choose to marry in the first three years, a pattern that has been observed in Massachusetts and elsewhere. The marriages that would occur in the first year alone would bring about $18.1 million in revenue to the state of Louisiana that year.
Patterns of Relationship Recognition by Same-Sex Couples in the United States
Since 1997, 19 states and the District of Columbia have extended legal recognition to the relationships of same-sex couples. The form of legal recognition has varied to include marriage, civil unions, state-registered domestic partnerships, and limited-rights statuses, such as reciprocal beneficiary relationships. These varied forms of recognition entail different packages of legal rights and responsibilities for the couples entering them. This study provides a demographic analysis of the same-sex couples who marry, enter civil unions, or register their partnership in these states, covering the full range of legal statuses.
Coming out for lesbian women: its relation to anxiety, positive affectivity, self-esteem, and social support.
The present study investigated relations between lesbians' disclosure of their sexual orientation and psychological adjustment. The 499 participants responded to a questionnaire assessing level of self-disclosure, sources of social support, forms of socializing, self-description of sexual orientation, and length of self-identification as a lesbian. The more widely a woman disclosed her sexual orientation the less anxiety, more positive affectivity, and greater self-esteem she reported. Degree of disclosure to family, gay and lesbian friends, straight friends, and co-workers was related to overall level of social support, with those who more widely disclosed reporting greater levels of support. Participants who more widely disclosed their sexual orientation were less likely to engage in anonymous socializing, had a larger percentage of lesbian friends, and were more involved in the gay and lesbian community. Path analyses revealed a mediating effect of social reactions (both initial and current) on the relation between identity development and self-disclosure.