Gay Marriage Measure Once Again Introduced In Rhode Island House And Senate

In Rhode Island Thursday, Representative Arthur Handy (Democratic-Cranston) introduced his annual bill to legalise same sex marriage in the state, Senator Rhoda Perry (Democrat-Providence) introduced similar legislation in the Senate, reports the Providence Journal. Perry said that she hoped the measure would get a hearing and vote early in the legislative session, the bill legalising “civil marriage” between people of the same gender to wed while specifying that no religious institution would be required to marry same sex couples if that contradicts their teachings, Perry saying “We want to get it going early on. We want to have debate and a hearing, and we do not want to wait until the end of the year.” The legislation, according to reports, has strong support in the House, where Representative Fox, who is openly gay, is also hoping for an early vote. However, House Minority Leader Robert Watson (Republican-Greenwich), says that he prefers civil unions, objecting to the word “marriage,” and saying he does not believe the definition of marriage should be decided solely by the 75 members of the House and the 38 members of the Senate, Watson saying “I agree with those who say words have meaning. All these words have power and meaning, and can offend and hurt and harm. Well, if that’s the case, a civil union bill achieves what they are seeking to achieve. A gay marriage bill appears to be a little stronger ... And I would support any bill leaving this floor and going before the voters as a referendum question.” Perry said she believes the legislation would be approved if put before the full Senate, but noted that this is the eighth time it has been introduced, never being put to a vote, even in committee.