In Rhode Island, every Republican state senator backs gay marriage

Posted by Rachel Weiner on April 23, 2013 at 10:13 am

In Rhode Island, an entire delegation to the state Senate backs gay marriage — and it’s the Republicans.

Rhode Island Public Radio reports that all five Republican members of the state’s upper chamber will support a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in the state.

The state House voted in favor of gay marriage earlier this year; it’s now before the Senate Judiciary Committee and could see a vote in the full Senate by the end of the week. The regional chapter of the National Organization for Marriage has threatened to unseat Senate Minority Leader Dennis L. Algiere (R) over the vote.

In less liberal states than Rhode Island, Republican supporters of gay marriage are more rare. The Nevada Senate voted Monday to legalize gay marriage in the Silver State; only one Republican backed that legislation. A Republican in Minnesota is co-sponsoring a gay marriage bill; he also faces threats from NOM and resistance from other Republicans. In Delaware, gay marriage has a Republican co-sponsor in the state House; there are also supporters in Illinois, where conservatives have failed to oust the state party chairman for supporting gay marriage.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...-gay-marriage/