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Marriage Equality

R.I. Marriage Equality Bill to be Introduced Thursday

R.I. Marriage Equality Bill to be Introduced Thursday

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Rep. Arthur Handy says he will submit the bill in Rhode Island, the only New England state lacking equal marriage rights.

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A marriage equality bill will be introduced in the Rhode Island legislature Thursday, the Providence Journal reports.

State representative Arthur Handy, the bill's sponsor, said he will need Wednesday to recruit cosponsors, who will include openly gay House speaker Gordon Fox.

Rhode Island legislators have previously abandoned efforts to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples because of insufficient support. The state has had civil unions since 2011, and it recognizes out-of-state same-sex marriages. But it remains the only New England state without marriage equality.

Handy said the bill will address religious groups' concerns, making clear that no church would have to perform marriages that go against its beliefs.

The 2012 election results increased the number of marriage equality supporters in the legislature, helping the bill's chance of passage. Gov. Lincoln Chafee is also a supporter.

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Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring, The Advocate's copy chief, has spent much of her journalistic career covering the LGBT movement. When she's not fielding questions about grammar, spelling, and LGBT history, she's sharing movie trivia or classic rock lyrics.
Trudy Ring, The Advocate's copy chief, has spent much of her journalistic career covering the LGBT movement. When she's not fielding questions about grammar, spelling, and LGBT history, she's sharing movie trivia or classic rock lyrics.