Poll: Rhode Island Voters Support Marriage Equality 

A majority of Rhode Island voters support marriage rights for same-sex couples, according to a new poll.

The study, released Wednesday by Rhode Island Marriage Coalition, found that of 502 voters polled, 59% said they supported granting same-sex couples the right to marry -- a 10-percentage-point increase in support for marriage equality in the state compared to a 2008 poll on the issue.

"This poll makes clear that there is no reason why we can't enact a marriage equality law in Rhode Island within the next year," said Kathy Kushnir, executive director of Marriage Equality Rhode Island, a member group of the Rhode Island Marriage Coalition. "Rhode Islanders are ready to allow loving, committed same-sex couples to gain the dignity and respect that marriage brings, along with all of the legal rights and obligations that marriage brings."

Though gay marriage is not legal in Rhode Island, the state recognizes marriages of same-sex couples performed in other states.

Read the full story here via Bay Windows.