GLAAD April 24 responded to news that Rhode Island is now poised to become the 10th state (along with Washington D.C.) in the U.S. to make marriage equality the law, as the state Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill allowing same-sex couples to marry. The bill now heads back to the state House, which already approved a similar bill, for a final vote.
If signed into law, Rhode Island will become the last of six New England states to enact marriage equality, following Maine voters' victory at the ballot box in November. The bill has the support of Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee, who has said he will sign it.
"This victory would not have been possible without the hard work of Rhode Island's marriage advocates, and the voices of the couples and families truly impacted by today's passage," said GLAAD spokesperson Wilson Cruz. "A strong majority of our nation now supports marriage equality, and as Americans continue to hear the stories of loving and committed same-sex couples who want to marry, that number will continue to grow."
Bills aimed at allowing same-sex couples to marry have been proposed in Rhode Island's General Assembly since the early 1990s, but this is the first time a bill has passed through both houses.
Lambda Legal celebrates Rhode Island marriage bill
"Today Rhode Island joins the growing list of states where loving same-sex couples have the freedom to marry, giving all Rhode Island families an equal chance at their own happily-ever-after story, and lighting the way for the rest of us to follow."
(New York, April 24, 2013) Today, the Rhode Island Senate voted to end the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage in Rhode Island. After the bill goes back to the House for reconciliation and Governor Lincoln Chafee, a vocal supporter of marriage equality, signs the bill, Rhode Island is set to join the growing list of jurisdictions in the United States, where same-sex couples have the freedom to marry.
Camilla Taylor, National Marriage Project Director at Lambda Legal, made the following statement:
"Today Rhode Island joins the growing list of states where loving same-sex couples have the freedom to marry, giving all Rhode Island families an equal chance at their own happily-ever-after story, and lighting the way for the rest of us to follow . Rhode Island will become the final state in New England to allow same-sex couples to marry, solidifying the region as a bastion of equality for same-sex couples and their families.
"Today, we celebrate with the thousands of Rhode Island same-sex couples and their children who will soon be able to have the full recognition and respect accorded to married families. We congratulate our colleagues at Rhode Islanders United for Marriage, Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders and many other advocates who fought so hard for this victory.
"The path to equality in Rhode Island, as in other states across the country, has had twists and turns. It has been a long road. As we await decisions from the Supreme Court on the so-called Defense of Marriage Act and the California marriage ban termed Proposition 8, this victory in Rhode Island is a reminder of how far we've come. More Americans are extending equality to same-sex couples and their families and this victory makes clear that momentum for the freedom to marry is strengthening."