Rhode Island House Speaker Gordon Fox (D), who is openly gay.

The Rhode Island House just completed its final vote on marriage equality, passing the Senate-revised bill 56-15. This is actually a more supportive vote than the House’s original consideration of the bill, which passed 51-19 in January. The Senate passed the bill last week by a 26-12 vote, with some lawmakers changing their vote in support during the floor debate.

Gov. Lincoln Chafee (I) is signing the bill at 5:45 PM. He explained his support for the legislation in an op-ed in the New York Times:

When I sign the Marriage Equality Act into law, I will be thinking of the Rhode Islanders who have fought for decades simply to be able to marry the person they love. I will be thinking of how Rhode Island is upholding its legacy as a place founded on the principles of tolerance and diversity. But I will also be thinking, as all governors must, about the economy. With marriage equality becoming law tomorrow night in Rhode Island, we are sending a clear message that we are open for business, and that all are welcome. I hope that leaders in capitals across the country — including Washington — will soon realize that marriage equality is an issue where doing the right thing and the smart thing are one and the same.

With his signature, Rhode Island becomes the 10th state to recognize the marriages of same-sex couples, joining Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Maryland, Iowa, Washington, and the District of Columbia. The law takes effect August 1. The Delaware Senate will consider similar legislation next Tuesday and could become the 11th.

This afternoon, the Rhode Island House is completing the final pro forma vote on marriage equality, with Gov. Lincoln Chafee (I) planning to sign the bill at 5:45 PM. With this conclusion inevitable, Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin has offered guidance to Rhode Island Catholics about what the advent of marriage equality portends. In his pastoral letter, Tobin suggests that attending a same-sex wedding will compromise their faith and “cause significant scandal”:

At this moment of cultural change, it is important to affirm the teaching of the Church, based on God’s word, that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered,” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2357) and always sinful. And because “same-sex marriages” are clearly contrary to God’s plan for the human family, and therefore objectively sinful, Catholics should examine their consciences very carefully before deciding whether or not to endorse same-sex relationships or attend same-sex ceremonies, realizing that to do so might harm their relationship with God and cause significant scandal to others.

Tobin’s “disappointment” that he didn’t successfully defeat marriage equality seems to have manifested itself in spite. By advising Catholics not to even attend the same-sex ceremonies, he is openly endorsing not just a religious view on marriage, but open stigma against the gay community and their families. Per this guidance, Catholics should openly shun and condemn their friends, family, and loved ones for choosing to make a life commitment — what Tobin calls a “serious regression in the public morality of our state.” Such family rejection cannot be justified as “respect, love, and pastoral care” — it is, by definition, the very opposite.

At the end of every week, the National Organization for Marriage’s president, Brian Brown, sends out a weekly newsletter summing up the week’s events. Though many thought last week was a rough week because of the Boston Marathon bombings and West, Texas explosion, it was this week that Brown described as “a tough week” because of the many victories for marriage equality. This week’s letter remarkably crams most of NOM’s talking points all into one post, so here is a reminder of NOM’s various claims about the consequences of same-sex couples marrying:

Marriage Equality Discriminates Against Christians (Because They Want To Discriminate)

NOM is still upset that Rhode Island passed marriage equality this week. Rather than repeat his own claim that same-sex marriage is worse than divorce or death, Brown emphasized that marriage equality “redefines marriage for all people” by imposing upon Christian businesses who don’t wish to serve same-sex couples. Earlier this week, NOM admitted its desire to blatantly “refuse service” to gays and lesbians.

Marriage Equality Harms Children

As always, NOM ignores that many same-sex couples are already raising children, so Brown instead claims that “the rights of adults to marry any person they love trump a child’s right to a loving mom and dad.” He once again obsessed over a New York middle school that taught students about the diversity within the LGBT community, as if learning about the world was somehow harmful.

NOM Effectively Targets Republicans Who Support Marriage Equality

Referencing how the Republicans in the Rhode Island Senate unanimously supported marriage equality, Brown committed to challenging their re-election, boasting NOM’s success doing that in New York. The only problem is that NOM was only successful at flipping one of the four seats they challenged in New York; two of them were lost to Democrats because of NOM’s too-conservative primary challengers.

Being Gay Is A “Preference”

With the exception of Jennifer Roback Morse, NOM generally tries to avoid openly endorsing ex-gay therapy, but it finds subtle ways to condone the harmful practice. Brown used the email to champion Rhode Island Sen. Harold Metts (D), who offered a 12-minute religious condemnation of homosexuality during Wednesday’s floor debate. Among his claims, as quoted in NOM’s newsletter: “I can change my sexual preference tonight if I want to, but I can’t change my color.”

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NOM's Brian Brown crying after New York passed marriage equality in 2011.

The National Organization for Marriage is not happy that marriage equality has successfully advanced in Rhode Island, a sentiment probably enhanced by NOM’s unique dedication of specific resources in that state. Reacting to Wednesday’s Senate vote, Brian Brown made a bold new comparison, suggesting that same-sex couples do more to destroy marriage than divorce or death:

BROWN: The Senate has abandoned society’s most important institution and put their constituents on a collision course with the law. Lawmakers have allowed themselves to be fooled into thinking they have protected people of faith when in fact they have put those who believe in true marriage in the crosshairs of the law and gay ‘marriage’ activists. It won’t be long before the repercussions begin to be felt.

For the first time, the state of Rhode Island is saying to its children they do not deserve both a mother and a father, and are backing a law that is designed to intentionally deprive some kids of either a mom or a dad. It’s bad enough when families break down through divorce or death, but it’s unconscionable when a state encourages this through policies that deprive children of the love of both a mother and a father. This is a very sad day for Rhode Island.

With every loss, NOM’s true colors become more revealed. Once again disregarding how same-sex families will benefit from the protections of marriage, Brown has admitted he actually believes having two moms or two dads is worse for children than losing a parent to divorce or death. This comment follows in the same week that NOM tried to fundraise off the fear that children might learn LGBT people exist, endorsed blatant discrimination against LGBT people, and defended the Boy Scouts of America’s ban on gay Scouts. For an organization that supposedly focuses on the issue of marriage, NOM seems increasingly concerned with preventing LGBT people from participating in society whatsoever.

The Rhode Island Senate just voted 26-12 to approve marriage equality, guaranteeing that The Ocean State will be the 10th state to allow same-sex couples to legally marry. Because the Senate made some revisions to the bill, it still requires a final passage in the Rhode Island House, which will likely happen next Thursday. Back in January, it passed easily there by an overwhelming 51-19 vote. Gov. Lincoln Chafee (I) has promised to sign the bill.

The Senate had previously been the bill’s primary obstacle. In 2011, Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed (D) refused to let the Senate vote on the marriage equality bill passed that year by the House. Though she still opposes it, advocates have applauded her for not using her leadership position to block its advance this year. All five Republicans in the Senate also came out in support of the bill this week.

During today’s discussion, only one amendment was advanced, which would have allowed a referendum on the question, and it was defeated by a 10-28 vote. A similar proposal failed in committee on Wednesday. Though numerous religious exemptions allowing discrimination watered down the civil unions bill passed in 2011, no such amendments were offered for this bill. Rhode Island Sen. Harold Metts (D) was one of the few Senators who spoke extensively in opposition to the bill, launching into a 12-minute religious condemnation of same-sex marriage. Sen. James Doyle (D), who just came out for marriage equality a month ago, countered that if he gets to Heaven and the Lord’s first concern is how he voted on same-sex marriage, then he’s “doing pretty good.” Sen. Maryellen Goodwin (D) notably changed her position to support the bill just before the vote, adding that she was voting on the side of love.

Not only will Rhode Island be the 10th state (plus the District of Columbia) to allow marriage equality, but with it, all of New England will now recognize same-sex couples’s marriages.

Just now, the Rhode Island Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance marriage equality with a vote of 7-4. The bill is identical to one that already passed the House. A second bill under consideration that would have allowed a referendum to decide whether same-sex couples should be allowed to marry failed 5-6. It now advances to the full Senate for consideration. (UPDATE: That full Senate vote will be Wednesday.)

In March, the committee heard about 12 hours of testimony on these two bills.  Originally, the referendum bill also included extreme “protections” for religious liberty that anybody in the state could discriminate against same-sex couples. (Numerous senators that originally came out in support of it had already backed away from it.) During the March hearing, there was fierce testimony on both sides of the issue, included repeated lessons on the Bible from Sen. Harold Metts (D), who believes Satan is behind same-sex marriage.

This was the first time that marriage equality has had a vote in the Rhode Island Senate. Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed (D) has not allowed it to advance before, but promised she’d allow a Senate vote this year if the House approved it, which it did. Earlier today, the entire Republican caucus in the Senate — all five members — endorsed marriage equality. Despite the opposition by Senate Democratic leadership, 60 percent of Rhode Island voters support full marriage equality.

This afternoon, the Rhode Island Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on marriage equality legislation, and the chamber’s Republican Caucus has unanimously endorsed the bill. Though there are only five Republicans in the 38-member Senate, all five signed onto a letter released today declaring that “gay and lesbian couples deserve to be treated equally under the law”:

Our Senate Republican Caucus is deeply committed to the values of freedom, liberty and limited government. In accordance with those values, we believe that freedom means freedom for everyone, and that every citizen of Rhode Island deserves the freedom to marry the person they love.

We support Senate Bill 38 because it rightfully extends the civil aspects of marriage to all Rhode Islanders while protecting the freedom of religion our state was founded upon. Gay and lesbian couples deserve to be treated equally under the law, and at the same time churches, synagogues and mosques in our state must be free to exercise their faith and their sacraments as they see fit. This bill strikes the right balance and should be passed by the Senate.

We recognize that there is a national consensus building on this generational issue, and we are glad that support for the freedom to marry is growing within the Republican Party. Today we join the 209 other Republican state legislators across America who have stood up for the freedom to marry. As a united Senate Republican Caucus, we are proud to add our voices to reaffirm the principles of freedom and equality under the law.

The letter notes, “The Rhode Island Senate GOP Caucus the first legislative caucus of either political party in any state to unanimously support the freedom to marry.”

The endorsement makes the bill’s passage significantly more likely, but opposition remains strong among the Democratic leadership in the Senate, include Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed. A February poll found that 60 percent of Rhode Island voters support allowing same-sex couples to marry, which they can already do in all neighboring states and still be recognized when returning home to Rhode Island.

Bishop Thomas Tobin

A Rhode Island Senate committee is still considering marriage equality legislation after last week’s marathon 12-hour open hearing, but a Catholic bishop claims that the Supreme Court cases are a sufficient reason to stall the bill. Bishop Thomas Tobin of the Providence Diocese released the following statement on Wednesday:

In light of the historic deliberations of the U.S. Supreme Court on same-sex marriage, it would be appropriate for the General Assembly of Rhode Island to defer any action on this critical issue for the time being. Any legislative action that is taken now could very well be rendered completely null and void by the decision of the Supreme Court expected this June. It is likely that the Supreme Court will decide this matter for us, one way or another. Let’s wait to see what the highest court of the land says about this issue which is so very important to many Rhode Islanders.

This statement is patently false. Nothing about either case before the Supreme Court could possibly impact Rhode Island’s marriage law, except to make same-sex marriage legal there (less likely) or ensure that all married couples receive federal benefits (more likely). The possibility of the former offers no compelling reason not to proceed with legalizing same-sex marriage in the meantime, and the potential of the latter actually shows that advancing the bill will do even more to support same-sex families in the state.

Tobin is playing the only card he has left to oppose marriage equality: delay, delay, delay. He’s counting on lawmakers not to remember that justice delayed is justice denied.

Thursday evening, the Rhode Island Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on marriage equality legislation that lasted a staggering 12 hours — until 4:57 AM Friday morning — allowing every single individual who wanted to testify for or against the bill to do so. One of the most compelling testimonies came from 12-year-old Matthew Lannon, who explained about why his two moms and two dads deserve marriage:

LANNON: Both my moms and my dads have been together for 14 years. When I think about what marriage means to me, I think it’s about two people that love each other. My parents certainly fit that description. Although they can’t legally marry, their commitments are very very real. My parents have stayed together through sickness and health, through thick and thin, through good times and bad…

So even though I’m only 12, I have some ideas of what’s important to me. I want to be someone who knows no discrimination. I want to become a man who doesn’t judge someone by the color of their skin, their gender, or who they love. I want to use the gift I was given to help make the world a better place.

In closing, here’s what I believe. If there’s one thing you don’t mess with in life, it’s love. My parents and all the other gay and lesbian people here just want to be happy, just like you. All they want is to be treated fairly. But unlike most of you, they have to come again here year after year and explain over and over why their love is equal to yours. This year, you have the opportunity to change that. I say: choose love.

Watch it (via Providence Journal):

The New Civil Rights Movement has more analysis of the long night of testimony. This is the first time marriage equality has been considered in the Senate, having previously been blocked by Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed (D). The committee did not vote before convening this morning.

A new poll from Brown University shows that 60 percent of Rhode Island voters support marriage equality, while only 26 percent oppose it. This is up from the already strong 57 percent found in a poll last month. The Rhode Island House has already passed a bill to allow same-sex marriage, but a contentious vote still awaits in the Senate.

It’s unclear what reason the Senate has to oppose the bill. Not only does a majority support equality, but they’ve also shown their willingness to elect an openly House Speaker (Rep. Gordon Fox (D)) and an openly gay mayor of the capital, who they then promoted to Congress (Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI)). Further, the state already recognizes the same-sex marriages performed in all the surrounding states. It’s time for the law to catch up with reality.