The Economic Case for LGBT Equality: Why Fair and Equal Treatment Benefits Us All

Badgett, a professor of economics at UMass Amherst, contends in her sober and well-documented debut that discrimination against LGBTQ people “means limiting the skills, knowledge, and abilities that are available to improve economies and societies.” She details the unfair treatment of “sexual and gender minorities” in the realms of education, business, and healthcare, and presents evidence suggesting that when companies enact “LGBTQ-inclusive policies”—whether voluntarily or to comply with state or federal laws—employee innovation, productivity, and retention improve, as do bottom-line measures such as stock performance. Citing research she conducted for the World Bank, Badgett notes that homophobia and transphobia cost India as much as 1% of its gross domestic product. She offers data to prove that corporate advocacy drives both queer entrepreneurial success and broader social change, and that LGBTQ-friendly multinational corporations push local competitors to enact nondiscriminatory policies. Badgett’s logical arguments and copious evidence will resonate with business leaders and policy makers, and human rights activists will appreciate her good-faith efforts to reassure them that the economic and moral arguments for reform are complementary. This cogent account makes a persuasive case that everyone benefits from LGBTQ equality. [em](May) [/em]