EQUAL RITES Proponents push case for gay marriage BY RACHAEL SCARBOROUGH KING

Just over a year after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court legalized same-sex marriage in the state, two bills currently under debate in the Senate Judiciary Committee seek to settle the question by legislative means.

Senator Rhoda E. Perry (D-Providence) has sponsored Senate bill 0217, which would legalize same-sex marriage, while Senate bill 0846, sponsored by Senator Leo Blais (R-Coventry) would limit marriage to heterosexual couples. The first bill does not mention gay marriage, stating that all couples are eligible to marry except in incestuous circumstances, but the second bill specifically prohibits same-sex marriages.

Gay marriage advocates say they are cautiously optimistic about Perry’s bill, but that no matter the outcome, they will continue to raise attention about the rights currently denied to gay and lesbian people in the state. Proponents of both bills hope for a vote out of committee in time for them to be heard on the Senate floor before the legislative session ends in June.

"Our goal right now is specific to the legislation: we want to see a vote in the [Senate] committee and we want to win in the committee," says Jenn Steinbeck, co-chair of the advocacy group Marriage Equality in Rhode Island. "Beyond that, it’s an issue of public education, working with people in their communities and letting them know the real stories of people who are affected by marriage discrimination."

Earlier this month, the bills were jointly heard in the Judiciary Committee, during which members of the public spoke for and against each. Steinbeck says that those in favor of gay marriage outnumbered opponents by a ratio of about three-to-one, and that a hearing on a pro-gay marriage bill in the House Judiciary Committee saw proponents outnumber detractors by about five-to-one.

"My impression of both hearings has been that the arguments in support of equal marriage are very personal," Steinbeck says, whereas "most of the arguments against are coming from sort of a global perspective or a religious perspective." In explaining to people how the bill specifically notes that no religious group would be forced to accept a practice with which it does not agree, "they’re usually right on board with us."

Perry is also optimistic about the bill’s chances, saying that supporters "haven’t given up for this year."

"Because of what has happened both in Massachusetts and Connecticut, I think we’re close to doing something, but I don’t know right now what the final legislation will be. We might have to . . . go several more years," she says, adding that it took 11 years to have sexual orientation added to state legislation protecting people from discrimination in jobs and housing.

Blais says that he introduced his bill because of a "clamoring from constituents," adding that his letters and phone calls have been overwhelming in favor of limiting marriage to heterosexual couples. He says he doesn’t know what his bill’s chances are for a hearing in the Senate, but thinks there is a lot of support statewide for the legislation.

For now, advocates of same-sex marriage will continue to lobby in favor of Perry’s bill and the House counterpart, H-5660, sponsored by Arthur Handy (D-Cranston), and they have planned rallies and news conferences to draw attention to the issue. Perry and Steinbeck refer to Roger Williams, Rhode Island’s founding father and a symbol for religious tolerance, as a model for their cause. "We’re building on Rhode Island’s tradition on fairness and equality and freedom of religion, and all of these are things we’re using to build support for our bill," Steinbeck says. "We want to see the legislators stand up for this historical tradition."