Rhode Island to legalise gay marriage after senate vote
(about 9 hours later)
Rhode Island's state legislature is set to vote on legalising gay marriage, a move that would make it the 10th US state to back same-sex unions.
Rhode Island's state legislature has approved a bill legalising gay marriage, making it the 10th US state to back same-sex marriages.
The state Senate will vote on legislation on Wednesday afternoon after it passed a key committee test.
The state Senate passed the legislation in a 26-12 vote.
A similar bill was easily passed in the state House in January and has the support of Governor Lincoln Chafee.
A similar bill passed easily in the state House in January and has the support of Governor Lincoln Chafee.
But previous efforts to allow gay marriage have been stymied by the Senate.
Rhode Island was the last state in the New England region to allow gay marriage. Hundreds of supporters in the statehouse cheered the vote.
Legislation in 2011 stalled after it was clear it would be defeated in the state Senate.
The bill now returns to the state House to approve minor changes made since January. A final vote could come as early as next week.
Rhode Island is the only state in the New England region not to allow gay marriage, and currently grants civil unions to same-sex couples. Gay marriage is legal in nine states and the District of Columbia.
When Governor Chafee signs the bill into law, gay marriage will be legal in 10 states and Washington DC, the nation's capital city.
'Unreal'
Amid swelling support since January, the state Senate's judiciary committee voted 7-4 to allow the chamber to debate the matter fully.
Dozens of supporters cheered and cried following the vote.
"It's almost unreal to think we're here, after all these years,'' Ken Fish, a 70-year-old gay man from Warwick, told the Associated Press. "I wasn't sure we'd ever get here."
"It's almost unreal to think we're here, after all these years,'' Ken Fish, a 70-year-old gay man from Warwick, told the Associated Press. "I wasn't sure we'd ever get here."
On Tuesday, the Senate's five Republicans announced they would all support the legislation, further improving the bill's chances.
On Tuesday, the Senate's five Republicans announced they would all support the legislation.
Governor Chafee, an independent, encouraged supporters to contact their senators ahead of the vote, but said he expected the bill to pass.
Governor Chafee, an independent, encouraged supporters to contact their senators ahead of the vote.
"I believe that when the roll is called, marriage equality will become law in Rhode Island," he said in a statement.
The legislation states that religious institutions may set their own rules for whom they deem eligible to marry.
Senate President Teresa Paiva-Weed, among several Democrats who oppose the bill, said she would not obstruct debate when the chamber began deliberating on the legislation.
It also specifies that no religious leader is obligated to perform any marriage ceremony.
But the legislation's opponents say they are not giving up.
The Catholic Church in the state opposed the bill, and during senate debate, many legislators said they had to weigh their religious beliefs against their constituents' desires.
Senator Harold Metts, a Democrat, said he planned to fast and pray ahead of Wednesday's debate.
Polls have shown a rapid rise in support for same-sex marriage in the US, and President Barack Obama and most US Senate Democrats now back same-sex marriage.
"Culture may change, but God has an immutable character," he said. "I'll be praying all night."
The legislation states that religious institutions may set their own rules for who they deem eligible to marry.
It also specifies that no religious leader is obligated to officiate at any marriage ceremony.
If the Senate vote passes, the bill would return to the state House to approve changes made since January.
House Speaker Gordon Fox said a final vote could come as early as next week.
