Congrats and Thank You Rhode Island...
RI to become 10th state allowing gay marriage
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) Rhode Island is poised to join nine other states and the District of Columbia in allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry.
Gov. Lincoln Chafee planned to sign gay marriage legislation into law Thursday evening, immediately following a final procedural vote in the state's General Assembly. The outcome of the vote is not in doubt.
Hundreds are expected to gather at the Statehouse to celebrate the new law, which has already passed the House and Senate once. The first weddings could take place Aug. 1, when the new law would take effect.
The other five New England states already have gay marriage, but bills that would have changed marriage laws in heavily Catholic Rhode Island sputtered for nearly 20 years until this year. More gay marriage supporters were elected to the legislature last fall, and advocates mounted an aggressive lobbying campaign to pressure undecided lawmakers.
The House passed the bill in January at the behest of House Speaker Gordon Fox, D-Providence, who is gay. The Senate was seen as the bigger challenge, but the bill passed easily last week after Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed, D-Newport, said she would allow a vote despite her opposition to gay marriage.
http://www.seattlepi.com/news/us/article/RI-to-become-10th-state-allowing-gay-marriage-4481490.php
Another step towards equality is always good news