Rho Island be 10th US state to allow gay and lbian marriage | Rho Island | The Guardian

Contents:

• RHO ISLAND BE 10TH STATE TO LEGALIZE GAY MARRIAGE
• GAY MARRIAGE MEASURE ADVANC RHO ISLAND
• A TIMELE OF GAY AND LBIAN HISTORY RI, AND NATNALLY
• GAY MARRIAGE BILL APPROVED RHO ISLAND HOE VOTE
• RHO ISLAND POISED TO BEE 10TH STATE TO ALLOW GAY MARRIAGE
• RHO ISLAND BE 10TH US STATE TO ALLOW GAY AND LBIAN MARRIAGE

RHO ISLAND BE 10TH STATE TO LEGALIZE GAY MARRIAGE

Rho Island beme the fal state New England and the 10th the untry to legalize gay marriage after pennt Gov. "I know that you have been wag for this day to e, " Chafee said to the state's gay and lbian muny at a bill-signg ceremony ont of hundreds.

"In a New York Tim op-ed Wednday, Chafee outled his support for gay marriage not only on moral grounds, but also enomic.

Senator 2004, Chafee voiced his support for gay marriage when most members of his party were stnchly opposed to .

GAY MARRIAGE MEASURE ADVANC RHO ISLAND

Even Rho Island, which ss the untry's iendlit terrory for gay-marriage supporters, opposn om the state's heavy Catholic populatn put the prospects of passage jeopardy for years. The legislatn has been troduced the Hoe every ssn sce last fall, more gay-marriage supporters were elected to the state legislature, and the bill's passage was the rult of a highly energized and ordated mpaigng om those equal rights groups, bs lears, muny anizers and bill overme s biggt hurdle last week when passed the Senate by a fortable 26-12 vote after Senate Print Tera Paiva Weed, D-Newport, allowed a vote spe her opposn to gay marriage.

Opponents to gay marriage argued passg the legislatn would lsen relig liberty for church and certa fah-based anizatnsA day before the bill passed, the Natnal Organizatn for Marriage lled on the Hoe to reject the legislatn, which they say ntas "a shockg lack of relig liberty protectns, potentially ghettoizg people of fah unls they promise and rema silent the public square. Civil unns, which the state approved two years ago, will no longer be available to gay upl, though existg civil unns will still be Associated Prs ntributed to this Rafferty, Staff Wrer, NBC News.

Frank Ferri, D-Warwick, who is openly gay, said to a standg ovatn.

A TIMELE OF GAY AND LBIAN HISTORY RI, AND NATNALLY

– Rho Island on Thursday beme the natn's 10th state to allow gay and lbian upl to wed, as a 16-year effort to extend marriage rights this heavily Roman Catholic state end wh the triumphant cheers of hundreds of gays, lbians, their fai and Lln Chafee signed the bill to law on the Statehoe steps Thursday eveng followg a fal 56-15 vote the Hoe.

"I've been wag 32 years for this day, and I never thought would e my lifetime, " said Raymond Besejour, a 66-year-old gay North Province man who has been wh his partner for 32 years. "'Once nsigned to the polil ge, gay marriage advot succeed this year thanks to a sprawlg lobbyg effort that clud support om anized labor lears, relig clergy, lears cludg Chafee and Province Mayor Angel Taveras and hundreds of volunteers. Supporters amed the issue as one of civil rights, argug daylong legislative heargs that gay and lbian upl serve the same rights and protectns given to oppose-sex married upl.

GAY MARRIAGE BILL APPROVED RHO ISLAND HOE VOTE

The Catholic church was the most signifint opponent, wh Bishop Thomas Tob urgg lawmakers to feat what he lled an "immoral and unnecsary" change to tradnal marriage Thursday, Tob repeated his opposn, wrg a letter to the state's Catholics that "homosexual acts are... "The Rho Island legislatn stat that relig stutns may set their own l regardg who is eligible to marry wh the fah and specifi that no relig lear is obligated to officiate at any marriage ceremony and no relig group is required to provi facili or servic related to a gay misters already nnot be forced to marry anyone, the exemptn helped assuage ncerns om some lawmakers that clergy uld face lawsus for abidg by their relig the new law, civil unns will no longer be available to same-sex upl as of Aug.

RHO ISLAND POISED TO BEE 10TH STATE TO ALLOW GAY MARRIAGE

Delaware uld be the next state to approve gay marriage. Advot Rho Island say that while they're proud the state is the 10th to legalize gay marriage, they expect other stat to follow quickly as support for same-sex marriage grows around the untry.

Acrdg to a November Gallup poll, 53 percent of Amerins support givg gay and lbian upl the right to marry, up om 27 percent Frank Ferri, D-Warwick, who lobbied for gay marriage before beg a lawmaker himself, relled that years ago he asked a stg lawmaker if he would nsir supportg same-sex marriage. "He said, `I'll pour gasole on my head and light myself on fire before that bill pass, "' Ferri has changed, said Ferri, who is gay. Ferri said he hop Hoe Speaker Gordon Fox -- who is gay -- n marry him and his partner on Aug.

RHO ISLAND BE 10TH US STATE TO ALLOW GAY AND LBIAN MARRIAGE

Gay & Lbian Advot & Defenrs, together wh Marriage Equaly Rho Island and Rho Islanrs Uned for Marriage prented a webar to answer legla and logistil qutns same-sex upl may have about marriage Rho Island. David Cicille, an openly-gay Democrat, appld his home state on Tuday.

”If passed by Hoe and Senate, gay upl uld start gettg married immediately.