A recent report concludes that legalization of same-sex marriage could hand New England states an economic advantage.

I sure hope so.

The June 4 Reuters story came after New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch signed a law that allows gay couples to wed. That marks six U.S. states that allow same-sex marriages. Five—including Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont—are in New England. The sixth is Iowa.

The underlying research follows an idea that many employers embraced more than a decade ago: Equality attracts well-educated, creative professionals whose abilities drive company growth.

Throughout the years, Business Insurance has reported on employers that offered “domestic partner” benefits to same-sex couples. High-tech companies that wanted to boost their competitive edge largely began the trend. They reasoned that fostering tolerance would make their businesses better places to work and, thus, attract more job applicants. Some employers even fought to create a workplace free of intolerance.

I recall writing a 2004 story, for instance, about a federal appeals court victory that Hewlett-Packard Co., which began offering domestic partner benefits in 1997, won over a former Boise, Idaho, worker.

The ex-employee, who was fired for violating the company's harassment policy by tacking up religious passages on his cubicle walls, sued HP alleging religious discrimination. The worker posted the passages in response to company-sponsored posters of HP employees with captions reading, “Black,” “Blonde,” “Old,” “Hispanic” and “Gay.”

The court said the man was insubordinate for refusing to take down statements such as, “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death.”

While many employers still don't offer benefits for same-sex domestic partners, the practice is so well-established that BI and other publications no longer pay much attention when a company does so. I hope states allowing gay marriage, likewise, become common enough that it diminishes as a contentious issue.

Not everyone will agree. For example, the California Supreme Court in May upheld the state's ban on same-sex marriages. However, I see accepting gay marriage as no different than overcoming beliefs that once kept blacks and other groups from sitting in certain sections of buses or theaters, or using certain water fountains. In my experience, helping end those prejudices made the world a better place. I'm certain benefits will follow if we try to work past our prejudices.

By moving ahead of other U.S. regions on gay marriage, New England could benefit from a financial windfall, Reuters reported, by luring same-sex partners to the universities, health care companies and financial services firms that dominate their economies.

The story relied on a study from the Williams Institute for Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy, a University of California think tank that advances sexual orientation law and policy through research.

Williams Institute researchers found that same same-sex couples who were members of the so-called “creative class” were 2.5 times more likely to move to Massachusetts during the three years after the 2004 approval of marriage equality there than they were during the three years prior. Massachusetts was the first U.S. state to allow same-sex marriage.

The Williams Institute describes creative-class individuals as “young, mobile and highly educated” and “vital to economic development in a post-industrial economy.”

Perhaps as began to happen at high-tech companies, other regions will find that embracing a broader spectrum of workers will help them compete.

In a world where competition is everything, local economies, like employers, need every advantage they can muster. But equality isn't just a business argument. Treating people with respect, no matter their differences, makes us all better human beings.