Reuters: U.S.: Rhode Island set to be 10th state to pass same-sex marriage

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Rhode Island set to be 10th state to pass same-sex marriage Apr 24th 2013, 22:35 Wed Apr 24, 2013 6:14pm EDT (Reuters) - Rhode Island was set to become the 10th U.S. state to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples after the state Senate approved a gay marriage bill on Wednesday, in a major victory for gay rights activists. The state House had approved a similar measure in January, but the bill will now go back to the House for a new vote because it was amended. Governor Lincoln Chafee, an independent, has vowed to sign it, calling Rhode Island, the last New England state without a law allowing gay nuptials, "an island of inequality in our region." The Rhode Island vote marks the latest in a string of victories for gay marriage advocates. Last November, voters in Maine, Maryland and Washington state voted to allow same-sex marriage, while in Minnesota, voters rejected a constitutional amendment that would have defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court is considering a legal challenge to a 1996 law that restricts federal recognition of marriage to heterosexual couples. Lawmakers in Illinois, Delaware and Minnesota have also taken up same-sex marriage legislation this year. On Tuesday, the Delaware House approved the bill and it now moves onto the state Senate for consideration. (Reporting by Edith Honan in New York; Editing by Scott Malone, Grant McCool, Cynthia Johnston and Leslie Adler) Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints

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