Providence Journal video by Kathy Borchers
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The state Senate voted 26 to 12 Wednesday to legalize same-sex marriage in Rhode Island.
It is a "giant step forward," said the bill's lead sponsor in the Senate, Sen. Donna M. Nesselbush, acknowledging the "nearly a half century of struggle by the gay community."
Nesselbush emphasized to her Senate colleagues that the bill "provides essential and extensive protections for religion and religious organizations."
The Senate bill and its match in the House, the latest in a long line of gay marriage bills dating back to 1996, now go to the House, which voted 51 to 19 earlier this year to pass an earlier version of one of the bills. The bills go first to the House Judiciary Committee, then to the full House. If passed, Governor Chafee can either sign, veto, or let the legislation become law without his signature.