Conn. gov. signs bill updating marriage laws

(Hartford, Conn.) A decade-long battle for same-sex marriage in Connecticut has ended with the governor’s signature on a bill updating the state’s laws.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell signed the legislation Thursday, one day after the state House and Senate both approved it.

The bill removes gender references from state marriage laws. It …

Massive crowd as Maine lawmakers take up gay marriage

(Augusta, Maine) Thousands of people thronged into the Augusta Civic Center as Maine lawmakers began the first public hearings on a bill that would allow equal marriage in the state.

The hearings were to have been held at the State House, but moved to the civic center to accomodate the large …

Anti-gay gov. joins homophobic org

Republican leader of small blue state joins National Org. for Marriage at state house.

Anti-gay gov. joins homophobic org

Republican leader of small blue state joins National Org. for Marriage at state house.

Anti-gay gov. joins homophobic org

Republican leader of small blue state joins National Org. for Marriage at state house.

New threat to gay marriage in Iowa

(Des Moines, Iowa) Iowa Republicans were foiled in two bids Thursday to force the state House to take up a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.

The moves came as more than 200 protesters demonstrated at the Capitol demanding action to overturn the Iowa State Supreme Court ruling gay and …

Delaware votes for gay rights

Two gay victories swept Delaware Thursday, when the state Senate defeated a constitutional ban on gay marriage and the state House passed a bill prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Delaware already has a law limiting marriage to a man and a woman, and Senators expressed concern that the constitutional ban …

Vermont Dems pledge gay marriage bill passage

(Montpelier, Vermont) The state leaders of the House and Senate have announced they will begin work on passing a marriage equality bill when the Legislature returns March 16.

At a joint news conference at the State House Senate President Pro Tempore Peter Shumlin (D) and Speaker of the House Shap Smith …

Gay marriage bills duel in RI Senate

Testimony went late into the night last Thursday as supporters and opponents of gay marriage discussed a pair of bills before the Senate judiciary committee at the State House.

Bill S0136, introduced by Senator Leo Blais, R-Dist. 21, seeks to amend Rhode Island’s constitution to specify marriage as an institution between a man and a woman. Bill S0147, on the other hand, calls for the state to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Though several bills supporting gay marriage have been introduced in the state Senate before, proponents of the current bill believe “that there is a better chance than in the past to have fruitful dialogue,” said Susan MacNeil, director of development and communications for the advocacy group Marriage Equality of Rhode Island.

The group has been working on the issue for ten years, but after the November election and the passage of Proposition 8 in California, which eliminated the right to gay marriage in that state, there has been an outpouring of public support for gay marriage, MacNeil said.

“People want to be part of the marriage equality movement,” she said.

Many of the Ocean State’s neighbors have already taken action. Same-sex marriage is currently legal in Connecticut and Massachusetts, while Vermont, New Jersey and New Hampshire have authorized civil unions. See Gay marriage bills duel in Senate

The Brown Daily Herald -