By a vote of 26-12 the Rhode Island Senate just approved marriage equality legislation, with the entire Republican caucus (all five) voting in favor of the bill. Yes, you read that right. Every Rhode Island Republican Senator voted in favor of same-sex marriage while a significant number of Democrats did not. Times, they are a changin' !
Rhode Island will soon become the 10th state (and 11th jurisdiction) to have legal same-sex marriage. The bill needs to goes back to the Rhode Island House of Representatives where very similar legislation passed overwhelmingly a couple of months ago, and then be signed by Governor Chafee, who has stated multiple times he will, indeed, do the honors.
Rhode Island has the distinction of becoming the smallest state (in area) to legalize same sex marriage - and will forever hold that title since it is the smallest state! (Washington DC and the Mexico City Federal District are significantly smaller jurisdictions but are not states).
Once Rhode Island's law-to-be goes into effect, marriage equality will be the law in all of New England and, if all goes well, sometime this year, old England too.
See my earlier diary today, Yesterday Was One of the Biggest Days in Marriage Equality History, on why the events taking place all over the globe these last couple of days are truly the beginning of the end of resistance to marriage equality.
Who's next? Delaware, Illinois? The spotlight is now focused on you, and there's no shadow left to hide in.