MERI Blog
Updates, news, action alerts and events from Marriage Equality Rhode Island.
Rep. Ferri Responds to the Governor’s Veto: It’s Personal
Dear Governor Carcieri:
I write on behalf of the thousands of LGBT Rhode Islanders who you continue to persecute by governing according to your personal and religious beliefs. Your veto of Senate Bill 0195 and House Bill 5294, which sought to instill a modicum of dignity for all Rhode Islanders at a time of extreme hardship for anyone – the death of a loved one – can only be described as an act of cruelty. The ability to provide for the final wishes of a departed partner is a matter of civil rights, and it is unfortunate you have allowed your religious beliefs to once again cloud your judgment.
I remind you as governor you represent all the people of Rhode Island – not just those who subscribe to the views of the Catholic Church. Your consistent demonizing of the LGBT community will truly be a blemish on your tenure as governor. I think it is also time to remind you of a simple concept the Founding Fathers believed in – the separation of church and state. There have been many in the history of our country and state with deep religious commitment who understood their beliefs should not interfere with the rights of fellow citizens. Rhode Islanders would be far better served if you spent your last year in office governing with this simple, but essential, concept in mind.
To suggest, as you do in your veto message, that a “one year…relationship is not sufficient to establish a serious, lasting bond” between two persons over “traditional” family members is preposterous. It is not your role to judge the significance of relationships or commitments between two individuals. Believing you have a voice in this matter speaks volumes to the level of arrogance you bring to this debate. Certainly, it is beyond the scope of your authority to call into question the level of love, compassion and dedication between two people, regardless of the length of time they have been in a relationship with one another.
The suggestion that your veto is in some way tied to the ongoing discussion of marriage equality is especially disturbing. This bill has no affect whatsoever on the definition of marriage. Instead, it seeks to extend some measure of relief in an incredibly emotional time. Was the pain and suffering endured by Mark S. Goldberg as he attempted to secure the release of the remains of his partner of 17 years any less cruel because they were of the same sex? To suggest all Rhode Islanders should not have the same rights is nothing less than bigotry.
In short, no one elected you to serve as the state’s moral compass. Just as George Wallace stood before the doors of the University of Alabama, you find yourself on the wrong side of history. Your decision yesterday to deny some Rhode Islanders the same rights and dignities as their friends and neighbors is shameful and history will judge you harshly.
Sincerely,
Representative Frank G. Ferri
District 22, Warwick
Gov. Carcieri Vetoes Funeral Planning Bill
R.I. governor vetoes ‘domestic partners’ burial bill
4:05 PM Tue, Nov 10, 2009
Katherine Gregg
PROVIDENCE, R.I.—An opponent of same-sex marriage, Governor Carcieri has vetoed bill that would have added “domestic partners’‘ to the list of people authorized by law to make funeral arrangements for each other.
Read the article and comment.
Bill Clinton’s change of heart on marriage
While I would have preferred for him to support a federal expansion of marriage, it is good to hear the former president say clearly that he personally supports marriage equality. It takes a lot for people to admit they were once wrong on an issue, something especially hard for politicians. Kudos Bill for evolving on the issue!
(h/t to GayPolitics.com)
Cambridge mayor to marry her longtime partner
(via Wicked Local Cambridge)
On 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 30 at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in Cambridge, Mayor E. Denise Simmons shall be marrying her longtime partner, Ms. Mattie B. Hayes, in a celebration of love, acceptance, and togetherness. The couple shares a passionate interest in advocacy and support work for children and families, and their wedding ceremony shall touch upon those themes. This is certainly a joyous milestone for the Cambridge Mayor and her family, which is to be expected of a loving union; however, this same-sex marriage is also important on a broader scale, as it seems indicative of a more accepting, more tolerant society.
The wedding will take place at the historic St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, which has predominantly been serving Cambridge’s African-American community for over 100 years, and is presided over by the Rev. Leslie K. Sterling. The wedding ceremony shall be conducted by Rev. Irene Monroe, who has cultivated a reputation as a progressive and nurturing spiritual leader, and who has conducted extensive outreach efforts to the GLBT community.
New Maine Marriage Equality Television Ad
Prop. 8 trial scheduled for Jan. 11
(via The Edge)
Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker set a trial date of January 11, 2010 for the federal challenge of California’s Proposition 8, a measure that bans same-sex marriage in the state, on August 19.
“Given that serious questions are raised in these proceedings…the court is inclined to proceed directly and expeditiously to the merits of the plaintiffs’ claims,“ Judge Walker said in an order issued on July 2, prior to the case’s first hearing. “The just, speedy, and inexpensive determination of these issues would appear to call for proceeding promptly to trial.“
The challenge is being led by the American Foundation for Equal Rights and by attorneys Theodore Olson and David Boies, who represent same-sex couples Kris Perry and Sandy Stier and Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo, who were denied marriage licenses under Proposition 8.
Harvey Milk to be inducted into California Hall of Fame
(via The Edge)
In an ironic twist, iconic gay-politician Harvey Milk will be inducted into the California Hall of Fame alongside Hiram Johnson—the former governor whose reforms of the state Constitution at the start of the 20th century introduced the popular vote amendment power that enabled Proposition 8’s passage that galvanizes the same constituency today.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has previously vetoed efforts to honor Milk with an official holiday and indicated that he will do so again with similar legislation currently pending, and his wife Maria Shriver announced today a list of 13 people who will be inducted into the California Hall of Fame at a Sacramento ceremony on Dec. 1. The inductees will be honored with a special ceremony and reception and be presented with Spirit of California medals.
Religious groups play major role in campaign to repeal Maine marriage law
(via The Edge)
As they were in last year’s Proposition 8 campaign that banned marriage for same-sex couples in California, two prominent religious denominations appear to be playing crucial roles in the current effort to repeal the Maine marriage law.
The stakes are high. According to a poll conducted in April while lawmakers in Augusta debated the bill, voters were evenly divided on the issue: 49.5 percent said they opposed legalizing marriage for gays and lesbians, 47.3 percent said they supported it and 3.3 percent said they didn’t know.
The Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Latter Day Saints are pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into Stand for Marriage Maine, the organization that has submitted more than 100,000 petition signatures. This figure is almost twice the number needed to place a referendum before voters in November that would ask them to repeal the bill lawmakers passed and Gov. John Baldacci signed into law on May 6. Maine is the fourth New England state to extend marriage to same-sex couples. New Hampshire followed suit a few weeks later, while Rhode Island remains the only state in the region that has not.
The People’s Veto, part of the Maine constitution, gives citizens the right to vote on, and possibly overturn, any law passed by the state legislature. To get on the ballot, citizens need to file a petition with the Maine secretary of state that has verified signatures amounting to at least 10 percent, or 55,087, of the total votes cast for governor in the most recent election.
Gay Marriage, Good For Straight Marriage
(via Change.org)
We’ve long heard the predictions from anti-LGBT activists that gay marriage would “lead to the end of Western Civilization,“ that gay marriage would ruin the tradition of marriage, or that gay marriage will lead to adultery. Well, five years after Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage, not only has none of these doomsday predictions come true, but Massachusetts ranks as the state with the lowest divorce rate in the entire country.
Oregon appeals court holds unconstitutional donor statute for married heterosexuals only
(via Bilercio Project)
In the most astonishing ruling on same-sex couples having children I have ever read, an Oregon appeals court this week ruled that the state’s donor insemination statute making a consenting husband the legal father of a child born to his wife using donor insemination was unconstitutional because it excluded lesbian couples
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