Over the next several months, I will be reading what I believe to be every English-language refereed article published on any topic vaguely related to lesbian and gay economics.
I’m doing this so there will be a single point of reference for anyone who wishes to confirm the oft-repeated claim that gay men earn more than straight men. According to all the reading I’ve done so far, that is completely false and you should not be repeating that claim. Gay men do not earn more than straight men, the data I’ve read show. Anyone who claims otherwise has a vested interest, and is usually peddling some ill-assembled marketing materials with a sales agenda.
I will review and annotate every paper and book and will cross-reference them according to their findings. For example, all the papers that confirm that gay men earn less than straight men while lesbians earn more than straight women will be grouped in one category. Other papers with other findings will be grouped in other categories.
Start with M.V. Lee Badgett’s classic book Money, Myths and Change, available at many libraries and easily Amazonable.
Posted: 2010.05.17