Tagged: same sex marriage

A few years back, when lawmakers in states such as Vermont and Massachusetts approved gay marriage, the political chatter was always focused on whether a vote supporting marriage equality would kill a legislative career due to a backlash against those who approved gay unions.

Those who supported gay marriage in legislatures were rarely ousted from office for their votes.

Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas J. Tobin and Governor Lincoln D. Chafee are at it  again over their favorite hot button issue, same-sex marriage. His Excellency issued a statement supporting the move by Sen. Frank Ciccone, a Providence Democrat, to put the marriage equality issue to a statewide voter referendum.

A bill calling for a statewide referendum to decide the fate of same-sex marriage legislation was filed Wednesday in the state Senate. Proposed legislation also offers exemptions for religious officials and small businesses that don’t want to be involved with same-sex weddings.

The bill sponsored by Providence Democrat Frank Ciccone has 10 other sponsors, eight of them Democrats.

The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a same-sex marriage bill in January. The Senate has slated a March 21st hearing.

Brown University's public opinion poll is the latest opinion survey to show strong support for same-sex marriage in Rhode Island, the last New England state without legal sanction for gay marriages. The survey also shows that Providence Mayor Angel Taveras has the highest job approval rating of any major Rhode Island elected official: Here is the full poll:

Same sex marriage has won overwhelming approval in the Rhode Island House. RIPR political analyst Scott MacKay on what’s next in this historic debate.

If you don’t believe the political landscape in Rhode Island has undergone a seismic shift, you weren’t at McKim, Mead and White’s State House for the historic House vote on same sex marriage.  The measure won overwhelmingly on a 51 to 19 tally.