Politics & Government

Same-Sex Marriage Starts Aug. 1 — Will It Change Anything?

Thursday marks the official beginning of same-sex marriage in Rhode Island.

Written by Joseph Hutnak

Nearly 16 and a half years to the day since the first bill was introduced to allow same-sex marriage in Rhode Island, city halls around the state will begin issuing licenses to gay and lesbian couples starting Aug. 1.

In early May, Gov. Lincoln Chafee held a ceremony on the steps of the State House to sign the General Assembly bill approving marriage equality.

The procedure for getting a license is essentially the same as for heterosexual couples — completion of a form and payment of a fee at a local city or town hall — with the exception that each person in a same-sex marriage is termed a "spouse" on the document.

Wedding-related business owners are hoping that the expansion of marriage rights in the state will boost their business, the Providence Journal reported this week.

And while the state law specifically allows religious houses of worship to continue determining their own qualifications for marriage, Bishop Thomas Tobin of the Diocese of Providence has termed same-sex marriage "immoral," and the U.S Conference of Bishops called the U.S. Supreme Court's June 26 decision tooverturn the Defense of Marriage Act "wrong."

Nearby Massachusetts implemented same-sex marriage in 2004; at the time — and since — critics have argued that allowing homosexual couples to marry would weaken the institution of marriage.

The "Our Sunday Visitor" blog, in an entry dated Jan. 13, 2013,pointed to Spain and the Netherlands, where it said "marriage rates plummeted."

Rhode Island's formal start of same-sex marriage has also drawn the attention of Westboro Baptist Church, which is planning toprotest outside Cranston City Hall on Thursday morning.

Since the original Massachusetts court decision that found restrictions on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, 12 more states, the District of Columbia, and five Native American tribes have decided to allow homosexual couples to marry.

What do you think?

Will same-sex marriage change anything in Rhode Island? Did you support or oppose the decision by the Rhode Island General Assembly to approve same-sex marriage?

Have your say in the comments section below.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here