PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- "There is nothing 'eminently reasonable' -- or Christian -- about legalizing discrimination against family, friends and fellow Rhode Islanders,'' the Rev. Gene Dyszlewski said Thursday in response to a statement by the leader of the Catholic Diocese in Providence about a proposed "compromise'' in the same-sex marriage debate.
GENE DYSZLEWSKI
In his statement earlier in the day, Bishop Thomas Tobin said his church will still "vigorously oppose efforts to redefine the institution of marriage in Rhode Island.''
But he said he views Sen. Frank Ciccone's new bill calling for a referendum as "an eminently reasonable approach to this divisive issue.''
If passed, the referendum would allow any "two people'' to marry regardless of their gender, but insulate businesses and others from legal repercussions if they refuse to provide goods and services to the ceremony for religious reasons.
Dyszlewski, a United Church of Christ minister and chairman of the Rhode Island Religious Coalition for Marriage Equality, said a same-sex marriage bill passed in the house has appropriate religious exemptions and deserves a Senate vote.