Despite some fierce opposition from gay rights groups in Rhode Island, the state senate approved a civil unions bill last night. The legislation was offered as a compromise of sorts in lieu of full gay marriage, as Gordon D. Fox, the openly gay speaker of the Democratic-controlled House, said he could not muster enough votes to pass a same-sex marriage bill.
Major Rhode Island equality organizations such as Marriage Equality Rhose Island, and other national orgs like Freedom to Marry and the Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) sent a letter Tuesday evening to Governor Lincoln Chafee calling on him to veto the civil union bill if it comes to his desk in its present form – a form which contains very narrow religious protections. The bill contains a provision that would allow religious organizations and their employees to disregard couples’ civil union status, creating what Freedom to Marry calls “unprecedented, onerous and discriminatory hurdles for same-sex couples seeking to take care of one another.” Chafee has said that he will likely sign the bill into law.
From The Boston Globe:
“We have moved one step in the right direction toward ensuring that individuals receive equal rights and protections under the law,’’ Paiva Weed said before the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the bill yesterday. After the committee vote, Paiva Weed said that she did not expect the Legislature to vote on a same-sex marriage bill next year, either.
The bill provides for hospital visitations, joint bank accounts, and property transfers, among other rights. If Chafee signs it, Rhode Island will become the fifth state with a civil unions law; Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, and New Jersey already allow civil unions for gay couples
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