Feb 11, 2010

Rhode Island gets its first black, gay House speaker

07:11 PM
By Steven Senne, AP

Rhode Island lawmakers have elected the state's first black and first openly gay House speaker.

Rep. Gordon Fox, a 48-year-old lawyer representing Providence, succeeds fellow Democrat William Murphy, who announced in September he would not seek re-election.

He said in an interview with TheProvidence Journal that he is "in a long-term relationship, but not officially married. ... When I get married, I would like to do it in my home state."

Rhode Island is the only New England state that has not made same-sex marriage legal. Will he try to change that?

Fox said he was reluctant to make a hard-and-fast commitment to bring the issue to the House floor for a vote after Murphy leaves, without "a lot of internal discussions." But, "we should have equal marriage rights in Rhode Island. ... That would definitely be something on a personal level I would like to see."

Fox is biracial — his father is Irish, his mother Cape Verdean — but, like President Obama, he considers himself black. He does so, the ProJo writes, because he hopes his achievements will serve as a role model for black youngsters, to send them a message: "If I can do it, you can do it also."

http://content.usatoday.com/communities ... -speaker/1