PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- As the debate over same-sex marriage moves closer to a vote in the Rhode Island Senate, lawmakers are wrestling with a key question: If legislators approve same-sex marriage, how will the rights of same-sex couples interact with the rights of people who oppose it?
Will religiously affiliated organizations, such as the Knights of Columbus, be required to rent facilities for same-sex weddings?
Will small business owners, such as florists or photographers, be allowed to turn down same-sex couples who want wedding services?l
The two bills before the Senate Judiciary Committee take different paths.
One would give Rhode Island the fewest religious protections among states where lawmakers have approved same-sex marriage.
The other has one of the longest lists of protections, extending them to areas other states have bypassed.