PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- From the House galleries to the chamber floor, Rhode Islanders observing firsthand the House of Representatives approve gay marriage legislation on Thursday told hopeful stories of what passage of the bill would mean in their lives.
Sally Hay, a 62-year-old Lincoln resident, was among the more than 100 people seated in the House galleries to watch the proceedings.
She said that as she and her partner grow older, they are becoming concerned about protecting their assets.
"The bottom line is that we can't get the same legal protections that we would have if we were married," Hay said.
Susan Heroux, of Pawtucket, said passage of gay marriage in Rhode Island might finally mean she can escape "legal limbo."
A gay woman married years ago in Massachusetts, she is now separated from her partner and hoping for a divorce.
"It's a sign of just how much marriage affects life," Heroux said. "That it's not just one thing. It's so many rights."
Annie Cronin-Silva, of West Warwick, said she was "overwhelmed" at how emotional the arguments were from pro-gay marriage lawmakers, including state Rep. Frank Ferri, an openly gay Warwick Democrat who talked about his decades-long relationship with his husband, Tony.
"I think that just totally defines what marriage is all about: finding that partner you want to spend the rest of your life with and sticking with them through thick and thin," she said. "And that's no different from us as it is for any of our heterosexual friends."
She too watched the vote from the House gallery along with her wife, Melanie Silva, who she married in 2008 in Massachusetts.
And Sylvia and Tony De Luca, of North Kingstown, were among the special guests invited to observe the proceedings from the chamber floor.
Their daughter, Luisa, is married to a woman and the elderly couple has been vocal advocates for gay marriage for nearly three years.
Like other supporters, the couple said they were enjoying the historic occasion, but already preparing themselves for the tougher battle ahead in the state Senate.
"This is Rhode Island and our motto is 'Hope,' " Tony De Luca said of the Senate deliberations. "So I'm going to say I'm hopefully optimistic. I hope they will find the ability to make sure that the rights of all citizens are equally protected."