Somewhere over the Rainbow: How Economics Shape the Mobility of Queer Americans

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Abstract

In the United States, same-sex couples’ parental rights are legally linked to their marital status. Prior to Obergefell v. Hodges, same-sex couples were not guaranteed the legal rights to their children that opposite-sex couples enjoyed. The link between marriage and parental rights meant that this disparity was especially significant in states where same-sex marriage was banned. This paper builds on existing evidence that same-sex couples see challenges to their parental rights as a threat rather than an inconvenience. I theorize that parents in same-sex relationships will migrate when states ban same-sex marriage with the caveat that these families’ ability to remove themselves from hostile legal environments is limited by economic conditions. I test this theory using panel data of American states from 1999–2020. The analysis reveals that when the unemployment rate increases in states with same-sex marriage bans same-sex couples and their children are less likely to migrate compared to families living in states without bans. Parents in same-sex relationships are also less likely to migrate compared to parents in opposite-sex relationships when unemployment increases in states with same-sex marriage bans. These results demonstrate that parents in same-sex relationships do migrate in response to hostile legal measures, but their ability to do so is limited by economic conditions.

Author

• Angela Kothe, Cornell University