MERI Blog
Updates, news, action alerts and events from Marriage Equality Rhode Island.
MERI lauds Gov. Chafee’s historic move to recognize RI’s same-sex marriages
PROVIDENCE - Marriage Equality Rhode Island Campaign Director Ray Sullivan issued the following statement today after Gov. Lincoln Chafee signed an executive order directing departments and agencies to recognize the marriages of the Rhode Island’s same-sex couples.
“This is a great and historic day for Rhode Island. Lincoln Chafee is now the first governor in the country to sign an executive order providing critical clarity and direction to government agencies regarding the recognition of same-sex, out-of-state marriages.
Despite long-standing Rhode Island law respecting out-of-state marriages, the fact is that far too many same-sex couples have encountered problems with the state refusing to recognize the validity of their marriage, causing harm, confusion, unnecessary expense, and heartache. This executive order will go a long way towards eliminating those problems, and makes it clear that there is no longer a gay exemption to the kind of protections and responsibilities that only marriage can provide.
While this moves us closer to full marriage-equality, nothing less is sufficient, and we will keep fighting. The General Assembly should take note of the courageous leadership demonstrated by President Obama and Governor Chafee and move immediately to pass full marriage equality. Even though this order makes clear that all married couples should be treated the same, all Rhode Islanders should be able to marry in their home state amongst their family, friends and community regardless of their sexual orientation.
This executive order sends a strong message to married Rhode Islanders that they can and should rely on their marriage to protect them and their families, and we thank Gov. Chafee for his tremendous leadership and commitment to civil rights.”
BREAKING: Sen. Reed supports marriage equality
A few minutes ago Sen. Reed tweeted:
“I support same sex marriage and will cosponsor the Respect for Marriage Act. #MarriageEquality #LGBT”
MERI just issued this statement from Campaign Director Ray Sullivan:
“We are very grateful to Sen. Reed for adding his voice to the growing chorus of Americans calling for marriage equality. As someone who is respected by members from both sides of the aisle, Sen. Reed’s support for the Respect for Marriage Act will provide significant momentum to the effort to pass this important civil rights legislation. We look forward to working with the senator and all members of Rhode Island’s federal delegation to guarantee equal access and protection under the law for all loving, committed couples.
This is a victory for the thousands of equality supporters all across Rhode Island who wrote countless letters, sent emails and made phone calls to the senator asking him to do the right thing. We thank Sen. Reed for listening, responding, and once again standing on the right side of history.“
MERI to Sen. Reed: Stand with President Obama
PROVIDENCE - Following President Barack Obama’s statement today in support of marriage equality, Marriage Equality Rhode Island (MERI) renewed its call to Sen. Jack Reed to do the same.
“Today, Preside Obama reaffirmed the American ideal that all citizens should be treated equally. It’s been 224 days since Sen. Reed promised to make a decision on this important civil rights issue ‘very shortly.‘ With President Obama, Vice President Biden, every member of our Congressional delegation and a majority of Rhode Islanders all supporting equal rights for LGBTQ citizens, it’s time Sen. Reed told us where he stands,“ said MERI Campaign Director Ray Sullivan.
For months, MERI, Ocean State Action and the national organizations Freedom to Marry and Courage Campaign have been lobbying Reed to support the Respect for Marriage Act, federal legislation that would repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Congressman Jim Langevin and Congressman David Cicilline are all sponsors of the bill. They also support adding marriage equality to the official Democratic National Committee platform. Reed voted in favor of DOMA as a member of the House in 1996.
As recently as last night, Reed told The Providence Journal he has not decided whether to change his longstanding position to marriage equality.
“Rhode Island needs Sen. Reed to be a leader and do what’s in the best interest of all his constituents. Gay and lesbian couples in loving, committed relationship deserve equal rights, protection and recognition under the law. At the very least, they certainly deserve to know if their senior senator still considers them to be second-class citizens. Over the years, Sen. Reed has been on the correct side of many important issues. Today, we’re renewing our call that he once again be on the right side of history by joining the effort to repeal DOMA and supporting marriage equality for all,“ Sullivan said.
House committee to hear marriage equality legislation this Wednesday
PROVIDENCE - The Rhode Island House of Representatives Committee on Judiciary is scheduled to hear three bills on Marriage Equality Rhode Island’s legislative agenda this Wednesday, at the rise of the House.
The bills include:
The Equal Access to Marriage Act (H7845), Rep. Handy: Would grant full marriage rights, recognition and protection to same-sex couples.
The Equal Religious Protection Act (H7753), Rep. Ferri: Would reaffirm protections and exemptions to members of the clergy from having to officiate or sanctify ceremonies pertaining to civil unions, and repeal the discriminatory portions of the “Corvese Amendment,” which allows any religiously affiliated institution, such as a hospital or college, or employee of such religiously affiliated institution, to ignore the legal status and standing of a civil union spouse.
The Equal Access to Family Court Act (H7752), Rep. Valencia: Would allow same-sex couples who have been married in another state to petition the Rhode Island Family Court for a divorce. Currently, they are barred from doing so and must return to the state in which they were married to reestablish residency, in order to legally dissolve their marriage.
WHAT: The Equal Access to Marriage, Equal Religious Protection, and Equal Access to Family Court Acts to be heard by the House Judiciary Committee
WHEN: Wednesday, May 2, 2012 at the rise of the House (approx: 4:30 - 4:45pm)
WHERE: Rhode Island State House, Room 313
Hate crimes reporting bill passes the Senate committee
Tonight the Senate Judiciary Committee passed bill S2488, the hate crimes reporting bill. The House version of the bill has already passed the House and so now it’s up to the full Senate to pass the bill. Tonight, 9 people gave testimony in support of the hate crimes reporting bill, including members of the community as well as Jaye from YPI, Janson from GLAD, and Steve from ACLU. We submitted written testimony in favor of the bill along with 16 other people and organizations. We were happy to see the bill pass with only one Senator (Senator Shibley) opposed. Jaye has issued a statement on behalf of YPI that is linked here. Stay tuned for updates on the bill’s progress.
Hate crimes reporting bill - Hearing TOMORROW
For this legislative session, in addition to our work on marriage equality, we are also working to pass the hate crime reporting bill (S2488) because no one should live in fear of being targeted for violence - simply because of who they are - when they walk down the street or are just going about their daily activities. Youth Pride Inc. (YPI), GLAD, TGI Network, and the RI Commission on Prejudice and Bias have long been working to pass a more comprehensive hate crimes reporting bill that includes transgender people. This year, we joined their coalition.
The house version of the hate crimes reporting bill (H7111) has already passed the house. Tomorrow, Thursday, April 25, the senate version (S2488) is scheduled to be heard in the Senate Judiciary committee, at the “Rise of the Senate” in room 313. If you’d like to testify, Ocean State Action has put together some great information and tips for testifying in the general assembly. If you’d like to testify and have questions, you can contact at YPI for more information. YPI and MERI staff are meeting with people who want to testify at the State House around 3:45.
We hope to see you there!
Tobin Attacks Again: Religious Coalition Responds
Earlier today, Bishop Tobin issued another press release attacking gay and lesbian couples in loving committed relationships. Check out our response:
Statement from the RI Religious Coalition in Support of Marriage Equality regarding Bishop Tobin’s most recent anti-LGBTQ remarks
PROVIDENCE - Rev. Gene Dyszlewkski, chair of the Rhode Island Religious Coalition in Support of Marriage Equality, released the following statement today after Roman Catholic Bishop Tobin’s anti-LGBTQ remarks in a press release issued by the Diocese of Providence:
“I was extremely disheartened to hear about Bishop Tobin’s comments.
I don’t pretend to be an expert in Catholic dogma, but I’m a Christian, and proud of it. In my faith, we adhere to Jesus’ command to “love, as I have loved you.“ I think Bishop Tobin would do well to remember that. These continued attacks on our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters only further perpetuate the notion that some religious leaders are out of touch with members of their faith.
No Christian I know believes in discrimination.
No Christian I know thinks it’s OK to deny basic human rights to a minority class of citizens.
The effort to pass marriage equality in Rhode Island is driven by a belief that all of our families deserve equal rights, recognition and protection under the law. At the end of the day, this issue is all about love, family, respect and equal rights for all God’s children. I hope the Bishop thinks of that before he pens another divisive and uninformed missive.”
Rev. Dyszlewski is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. He leads a coalition of 140 religious leaders, representing more than a dozen faith organizations, who support equal rights for gay and lesbian Rhode Islanders.
Bingo, Voter IDs and fun!
We’re excited for Gay Bingo tomorrow night! We have a group of hard working Spring Fellows and awesome volunteers and we needed a fun night out. Better yet, it’s for a good cause! It’s only $20 per person and all proceeds go to AIDS Care Ocean State. The theme is Easter Bonnet, as always hosted by Miss Kitty Litter.
The Secretary of State’s office will also make a stop at bingo tomorrow night from 5:30 to 7 pm, to discuss their efforts to implement Rhode Island’s new Voter ID law. You will be asked for ID this year when you go vote and we want to make sure that every eligible voter is able cast a ballot. If you don’t have a valid ID yet, stop by and get one here. Obtain a free voter ID, register to vote, or re-register if you’ve moved or changed your name since the last time you voted. For more information about the new law and what constitutes a valid ID, visit http://sos.ri.gov/elections/voterid/card/.
Hope to see you all at bingo!
Voter ID Update
Rhode Island’s controversial new voter identification law goes into effect with this year’s election, and MERI has been actively working to make the process less challenging to our community, particularly transgendered individuals who could face unnecessary hinderances and potential disenfranchisement.
This afternoon, MERI appeared in front of the Rhode Island Board of Elections and presented testimony voicing concern that the new voter ID law has the potential to put at risk the voting rights for the 2,000 to 10,000 transgender Rhode Islanders. We raised similar concerns at a hearing with the Secretary of State’s office last December.
Our testimony today focused on the proposed rules and regulations in the voter ID law as they stand and discussed their potential to place these individuals in an unwelcoming or hostile environment—an environment that is incongruous with the ideals of fairness and democracy that are supposed to define the voting process.
For example, while an individual’s identification could list one gender, that individual may be in the process of transitioning or may not wholly identify with their documented gender. Furthermore, the individual’s identification could list a name not traditionally associated with their gender at the time of voting. Such identification discrepancy could prompt a poll worker to initiate an awkward or embarrassing conversation that could bring the individual unnecessary and uncomfortable attention. Transgender individuals may be discouraged from even going to the polls for fear of being outed publicly.
But the dangers of the voter ID law on transgender people reach even beyond the possibility of discomfort or disenfranchisement to include the threat or act of physical violence. As many of us know, transgender people face extraordinarily levels of both verbal and physical violence in their everyday lives. The chance of public outing at polling places makes these sites especially susceptible to anti-transgender violence, and the mere possibility of such violence could demotivate transgender citizens from voting at all.
Although everyone should be able to vote at their local polling place free from fear and intimidation, the General Counsel for the Board of Elections wanted to make sure we knew we could vote by mail. Members of the Board of Election appreciated our testimony and want to work with us moving forward to ensure the poll workers are properly trained. We’ll keep you updated on our progress.
Also, thanks to one of our Spring Fellowship students, Simon, for all of his hard work on this issue!
House passes hate crimes reporting law to cover gender identity and expression
PROVIDENCE - Marriage Equality Rhode Island Campaign Director Ray Sullivan issued the following statement today after the House of Representatives passed legislation to include gender identity and expression as part of the hate crimes reporting law:
“On behalf of the tens of thousands of equality supporters across Rhode Island, we commend and thank Rep. Edith Ajello and those state representatives who voted in favor of including gender identity and expression in the hate crimes reporting law.
While there is much more that our state must do to stop violence and hate crimes of any nature, this is an important first step in protecting a group of citizens that for too long have been unjustly targeted and in some cases maliciously attacked for no other reason than being who they are.
It is critically important that these crimes be reported and tracked, and we look forward to working with members of the General Assembly to make sure such crimes are appropriately prosecuted and that the perpetrators are punished to the fullest extent of the law.
We urge the Senate to quickly take up this bill and send it to Gov. Chafee for his signature.”
— recently posted —
MERI lauds Gov. Chafee’s historic move to recognize RI’s same-sex marriages
posted 2 days, 17 hours, 1 minute ago
— your neighbors —
Rebekah Reid of Woonsocket supports marriage equality. Meet Rebekah and other real Rhode Islanders in our Friends & Neighbors gallery.
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