Same-Sex Marriage Is Coming to the Ocean State
Rhode Island joined the march of progress Thursday when it became the 10th state to allow gay and lesbian couples to wed. The decision marks the culmination of a 16-year effort to expand marriage rights in the heavily Roman Catholic state.
Rhode Island joined the march of progress Thursday when it became the 10th state to allow gay and lesbian couples to wed. The decision marks the culmination of a 16-year effort to expand marriage rights in the heavily Roman Catholic state.
The final vote was 56-15 in the state’s House of Representatives. Gov. Lincoln Chafee signed the bill into law to the jubilant cheers of hundreds of gays, lesbians their families and friends. The first weddings are scheduled to take place Aug. 1, when the law takes effect.
The legislation states that religious institutions can make their own rules regarding who can marry within their facilities and no religious leader will be required to officiate at the wedding ceremony of a same-sex couple.
— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.
Wait, before you go…The Guardian:
According to a November Gallup poll, 53% of Americans support giving gay and lesbian couples the right to marry, up from 27% in 1996. Rhode Island is the final state in the New England region to legalise same-sex marriage.
Once consigned to the political fringe, gay marriage advocates succeeded this year thanks to a sprawling lobbying effort that included support from organised labour leaders, religious clergy, leaders including Chafee and Providence mayor Angel Taveras and hundreds of volunteers. Their efforts overcame the opposition of the Catholic church and lawmakers including senate president Teresa Paiva Weed, who voted no but allowed the issue to come to a vote anyway.
If you're reading this, you probably already know that non-profit, independent journalism is under threat worldwide. Independent news sites are overshadowed by larger heavily funded mainstream media that inundate us with hype and noise that barely scratch the surface. We believe that our readers deserve to know the full story. Truthdig writers bravely dig beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that tells you what’s really happening and who’s rolling up their sleeves to do something about it.
Like you, we believe a well-informed public that doesn’t have blind faith in the status quo can help change the world. Your contribution of as little as $5 monthly or $35 annually will make you a groundbreaking member and lays the foundation of our work.
Support Truthdig
The papal dodge disappoints progressives and liberal Catholic women's groups while reassuring conservatives.
As voters prepare to choose a new parliament on Saturday, polls show surprising support for the party historically linked to the IRA.
Attorneys for about a dozen claimants allege hundreds of confidential emails show the New Orleans team was involved far more than it admits.
U.S. dioceses have begun releasing the names of the accused, but these lists are inconsistent, incomplete and often omit key details.
The church must now cope with the globalization of the scandal that once seemed largely confined to the English-speaking world.
He abolishes rule criticized as leading to the protection of pedophiles. “The carnival of obscurity is over,” says a survivor and advocate.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.