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On Tuesday night state Senator Marian Walsh spoke before a group of Rhode Island state lawmakers in support of marriage equality at an event hosted by Marriage Equality Rhode Island.
The Rhode Island legislature is considering a bill titled “An Act Relating to Domestic Relations,” which, if passed, would make Rhode Island the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage.
Walsh, whose outspoken leadership during the Commonwealth’s same-sex marriage debate has been hailed by marriage equality advocates, was asked to address Rhode Island lawmakers at the Marriage Equality Rhode Island event to discuss her own decision-making experience.
In the 2003 case Goodridge v. the Department of Public Health, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held that it is unconstitutional to deny same-sex couples equal marriage rights. Since then, more than 10,000 gay and lesbian couples have exchanged wedding vows in the Commonwealth.
Senator Walsh was one of a narrow majority of legislators who voted to let the Goodridge decision stand without a legislative amendment.
Executive Director of Marriage Equality Rhode Island, Kathy Kushnir, stated that because Rhode Island will most likely be voting on the domestic relations bill sometime in the coming year, every opportunity that the Rhode Island legislature has to learn from other states’ experiences with this type of legislation is critical.
“We were thrilled to have Sen. Walsh join our Rhode Island legislators for a discussion on the path to marriage equality last evening,” said Kushnir. “The strength of her wisdom and commitment to equal rights energized supporters and contemplators alike, and we all recommitted to, as Senator Walsh said, lighting the world with truth.”
Rhode Island Senator Rhoda E. Perry, who has sponsored marriage equality legislation in Rhode Island every year since 2004, was also in attendance at last evening’s function.
“It was very enlightening to hear Senator Walsh speak so graciously and articulately about the thoughtful manner in which she made her courageous decision to support marriage equality in Massachusetts,” said Perry. “Senator Walsh is an iconoclast. Through scholarship and study, and utilizing her educational background in religious studies and the law, she broke through the assumptions and ideology held by people who oppose marriage equality to take a stand for what is right. She is an inspiration for all of us who continue to address this issue in Rhode Island.”
Walsh focused her address on the importance of continued civil rights progress and the legal extension of equality for same-sex couples in the United States.
On Tuesday night state Senator Marian Walsh spoke before a group of Rhode Island state lawmakers in support of marriage equality at an event hosted by Marriage Equality Rhode Island.
The Rhode Island legislature is considering a bill titled “An Act Relating to Domestic Relations,” which, if passed, would make Rhode Island the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage.
Walsh, whose outspoken leadership during the Commonwealth’s same-sex marriage debate has been hailed by marriage equality advocates, was asked to address Rhode Island lawmakers at the Marriage Equality Rhode Island event to discuss her own decision-making experience.
In the 2003 case Goodridge v. the Department of Public Health, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held that it is unconstitutional to deny same-sex couples equal marriage rights. Since then, more than 10,000 gay and lesbian couples have exchanged wedding vows in the Commonwealth.
Senator Walsh was one of a narrow majority of legislators who voted to let the Goodridge decision stand without a legislative amendment.
Executive Director of Marriage Equality Rhode Island, Kathy Kushnir, stated that because Rhode Island will most likely be voting on the domestic relations bill sometime in the coming year, every opportunity that the Rhode Island legislature has to learn from other states’ experiences with this type of legislation is critical.
“We were thrilled to have Sen. Walsh join our Rhode Island legislators for a discussion on the path to marriage equality last evening,” said Kushnir. “The strength of her wisdom and commitment to equal rights energized supporters and contemplators alike, and we all recommitted to, as Senator Walsh said, lighting the world with truth.”
Rhode Island Senator Rhoda E. Perry, who has sponsored marriage equality legislation in Rhode Island every year since 2004, was also in attendance at last evening’s function.
“It was very enlightening to hear Senator Walsh speak so graciously and articulately about the thoughtful manner in which she made her courageous decision to support marriage equality in Massachusetts,” said Perry. “Senator Walsh is an iconoclast. Through scholarship and study, and utilizing her educational background in religious studies and the law, she broke through the assumptions and ideology held by people who oppose marriage equality to take a stand for what is right. She is an inspiration for all of us who continue to address this issue in Rhode Island.”
Walsh focused her address on the importance of continued civil rights progress and the legal extension of equality for same-sex couples in the United States.
“Back in 2003, Massachusetts established itself as a beacon of civil rights, and in doing so, set an example for the rest of the nation to follow,” said Walsh. “Now, as more states prove that they’re willing to take a stand for equality, it affirms that what we accomplished in this Commonwealth was the right and the just thing to do.”
Until 2004, same-sex couples were not legally permitted to wed anywhere in the United States. However, since the historic 2003 decision, a reverse trend has emerged and states including Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, Maine, (briefly California), and most recently New Hampshire have officially recognized the sanctity of same-sex marriage through legalization. Legislation addressing the issue of same-sex marriage is expected to be filed during the 2010 session of the Rhode Island Legislature.
This article was submitted by state Senator Marian Walsh’s office.
