Virginia voters Tuesday selected a pair of pro-LGBT state senators, Ralph Northam (D-Norfolk, Northampton, Mathews, Accomack counties) and Mark Herring (D-Loudoun, Fairfax counties) as the Democratic nominees for lieutenant governor and attorney general, respectively. 

According to results from the Virginia Public Access Project, Northam defeated Aneesh Chopra, former chief technology officer for the United States under President Barack Obama and Virginia secretary of technology from 2006 to 2009, by a margin of 54-46 in the lieutenant governor's race. Northam found greatest support in Southwest Virginia, the Shenandoah Valley, the Tidewater region and Norfolk area, and stronger-than-expected showings in Northern Virginia.

In the attorney general's race, Herring won a much narrower 52-48 victory over Justin Fairfax, a former federal proseuctor for the Eastern District of Virginia. Herring won throughout the southwestern and central parts of the state and performed well in Northern Virginia. 

Northam and Herring, both of whom earned perfect scores of 100 on Equality Virginia's 2012 and 2013 legislative scorecards for their records on LGBT issues, will appear on the ballot with Democratic gubernatorial nominee Terry McAuliffe in November, where they will face off against a slate of Republicans who are opposed to LGBT rights: current attorney general and gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli; lieutenant governor nominee E.W. Jackson, a conservative minister from Chesapeake; and Sen. Mark Obenshain (R-Harrisonburg, Rockingham, Rappahannock, Page, Shenandoah and Warren counties), who is running for attorney general. The statewide GOP slate was chosen at a May 18 convention. 

While the state Senate is not up for re-election until 2015, voters also chose party nominees for 100 seats in the state's House of Delegates, potentially setting up the possibility of a much more conservative House of Delegates following November's election. Fifty-four of the delegates – two Republicans and 22 Democrats – re running uncontested in November, meaning control of the House will hinge on the results of the remaining 46 races. 

In total, there were 11 primaries for House seats, seven of which featured incumbents. On the Democratic side, Del. Algie Howell (D-Norfolk, Virginia Beach) easily defeated Rick James by a 68-32 margin, while Del. Rosalyn Dance (D-Petersburg, Hopewell, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie and Prince George counties) beat back a strong challenge from Evandra Thompson, winning 53-47. Both Howell and Dance are longtime LGBT allies who signed on as co-patrons of a failed bill that would have repealed Virginia's ban on same-sex marriage. Both are running unopposed in November. 

On the Republican side, five incumbents, including House Speaker Bill Howell, faced primary challengers. Howell and three committee chairs – Bobby Orrock (R-Caroline, Spotsylvania counties), Beverly Sherwood (R-Winchester, Frederick, Warren counties) amd Joe May (R-Loudoun, Clarke, Frederick counties) – were challenged because of their votes for a transportation-funding package that raised taxes and a provision in the state's amended budget that could allow for a potential expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Howell and Orrock survived their challenges by margins of 91-9 and 57-43, respectively, but Sherwood lost to challenger Mark Berg, 49-51, and May lost to challenger Dave LaRock by a 57-43 margin. The fifth Republican with a primary challenge, anti-tax conservative Del. Todd Gilbert, easily defeated his opponent, 92-8. 

As a result of Sherwood's and May's losses, coupled with the seven retirements of Dels. Anne Crockett-Stark (R-Carroll, Smyth, Wythe counties), Don Merricks (R-Martinsville, Henry, Pittsylvania counties), Lacey Putney (I-Bedford, Covington, Alleghany, Boutetort counties), John Cox (R-Caroline, Hanover, Spotsylvania counties), Harry Purkey (R-Virginia Beach), Sal Iaquinto (R-Virginia Beach) and Bob Tata (R-Virginia Beach), the Republican caucus in the House could be much more conservative, particularly as it pertains to LGBT issues, in the 2014-2015 legislative sessions.

Sherwood, Purkey, Iaquinto and Tata all earned a score of 50 on Equality Virginia Advocates' 2013 legislative scorecard – placing them among the top half of the 68-member Republican caucus. While not necessarily gay-friendly, they are among a dwindling number of Republicans who are not openly hostile to LGBT people based on their records on LGBT issues, including voting to confirm the commonwealth's first openly gay judge, Tracy Thorne-Begland, in January. 

Because Democrats only fielded candidates in 65 seats, Berg, who defeated Sherwood; Jeff Campbell, who will replace Crockett-Stark; and Les Adams, replacing Merricks, will face no opposition in November and will be elected to next year's Legislature.

Kevin Clay, a spokesman for Equality Virginia Advocates, told Metro Weekly that the LGBT-rights organization will be sending questionnaires to all House candidates in the coming weeks to determine where they stand on LGBT issues. Those responses will be posted online. 

Clay also said that Equality Virginia's political action committee would be releasing its endorsements for the three major statewide offices next week. 

[Photo 1: Sen. Ralph Northam (courtesy of Northam for LG). Photo 2: Sen. Mark Herring (courtesy of Herring for AG).]

The head of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest LGBT-rights organization, released a letter to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) Tuesday asking him to appoint a pro-LGBT senator to the Senate following the death of Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) on Monday.

As governor, Christie is tasked with appointing a successor of the five-term senator.

"On behalf of the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization and our more than 1.5 million supporters across the country, I am writing to stress that part of that consideration must be the candidate's support for full equality for the thousands of LGBT people living in New Jersey," HRC President Chad Griffin wrote in his letter to Christie. "By clear and decisive majorities, the people of New Jersey support equality as a state value. A recent poll found that 62 percent of Garden State voters support marriage equality, and this broad support extends to other issues." 

Griffin, citing Lautenberg's pro-LGBT record during his Senate career and, by extension, those voters who re-elected the senator in 2008, asked Christie to consider appointing a replacement who would be dedicated to ensuring "full equality under the law," and offered to meet in person with Christie if necessary.

"From basic workplace protections to tackling bullying in our schools to the equal recognition of all marriages, legislation supportive of basic constitutional fairness will assume a central role in the legislative agenda of the coming months," Griffin wrote. "Please do right by the hundreds of thousands of LGBT New Jerseyans – and the broad majority of the state that supports their equality – and appoint an interim Senator who brings New Jersey's values and Senator Lautenberg's legacy of equality and basic fairness back to the halls of Congress."

HRC's congressional scorecard gave Lautenberg its top rating on LGBT-related issues, including support for equal marriage rights, an expanded LGBT-inclusive version of the Violence Against Women Act, and co-sponsoring the Uniting American Families Act. He also introduced the Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act, named after a Rutgers freshman who took his own life in 2010, to combat harassment and cyberbullying on college campuses.

Christie has had a mixed record on LGBT issues, supporting strengthening New Jersey's existing civil-unions law, but vetoing a marriage equality bill that passed through the Democratic-controlled Legislature in February 2012. 

Christie has indicated in the past that he would be in favor of allowing a statewide referendum on marriage equality, but supporters oppose a referendum, pointing to the last time New Jerseyans voted on the particular rights of a minority group, in 1915, when, according to The New York Times, a majority of New Jersey men voted against allowing women the ability to vote.

[Photo 1: Gov. Chris Christie. Photo 2: Sen. Frank Lautenberg.]

The momentum felt in recent months by supporters of marriage equality screeched to a halt Friday after the Illinois House of Representatives ran out of time in their scheduled legislative session and failed to vote on bill that would have allowed same-sex couples in the Prairie State access to state marriage licenses.

Advocates had hoped that Illinois would become the fourth state in the past month, on the heels of victories in Rhode Island, Delaware and Minnesota, to expand civil marriage rights to same-sex couples, but the measure failed to garner enough support for House Speaker Michael Madigan to call for a vote. 

The failure of the marriage-equality bill, which had previously passed the Illinois Senate by a 34-21 vote on Valentine’s Day, marks a defeat not only for supporters, but a political embarrassment for Gov. Pat Quinn (D), who had counted it as one of his legislative priorities for the year; and President Barack Obama, who had urged lawmakers in his home state to pass the bill while speaking at a Chicago fundraiser Wednesday night, saying he was "absolutely convinced it is the right thing to do."

Despite easily passing the Senate, being shepherded through the Legislature by Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton, both Democrats who support marriage equality, and assertions by lead sponsor Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) that he had the votes needed to pass it, the bill encountered fierce opposition in the House, particularly among socially conservative African-American, Hispanic and white Democrats from the greater Chicago area; and among Republicans, who largely opposed the bill.

The bill was further delayed by a number of contentious debates and votes in the final two days of the House session that were related to school funding, elections, fracking, concealed carry and, most specifically, the failure of the General Assembly to pass comprehensive pension reform. 

As the session drew to a close, Harris took to the floor, he talked of the widespread support for the bill, but acknowledged he did not have the votes to pass the marriage equality bill. He said several of his colleagues asked for more time to go back to their districts and talk with constituents about the issue. He claimed several lawmakers had promised to come back when the General Assembly reconvenes in November and had pledged their support for the bill. 

The bulk of the bill's support came from the greater Chicago area, including the five suburban "collar counties"– DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will – that were once Republican strongholds, but in recent years have become the "swing" part of the state that typically determines the outcome of statewide elections. Most "downstate" legislators, or those living in the mostly rural areas south of I-80, were largely opposed to the bill. 

Former Illinois GOP Chair Pat Brady previously expressed support for the marriage-equality legislation, but was forced to resign his chairmanship May 7 after members of the Republican State Central Committee and a number of conservative legislators spearheaded an effort to oust him from the position. State Rep. Ron Sandack (R-Downers Grove), a suburban Chicago Republican who had sought to replace Brady as chairman,withdrew his name from consideration after also expressing support for marriage equality.

The controversy surrounding Brady and Sandack exposed GOP rifts between hardline social conservatives and moderate Republicans with generally gay-friendly stances who have been elected in the Democratic-learning state, including former Gov. Jim Thompson and current U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, one of two GOP senators to publicly back same-sex marriage.

Following Harris's speech, out lesbian Rep. Deb Mell (D-Chicago), who legally married her wife in Iowa, took to the floor to speak about personal details of her marriage, including the support from her wife throughout her battle with breast cancer. 

"I hope that by telling you these personal details of our marriage, you will realize that we are more alike than we are different," Mell said, pleading with her fellow lawmakers to vote in favor of marriage equality when the House reconvenes in November and telling them not to side with people who claim she and her spouse are "evil."

Following the adjournment of the House, the leaders of the state's pro-marriage equality coalition, Illinois Unites for Marriage, sent supporters an email titled "We aren't going anywhere," in which they vowed to keep organizing until the marriage equality becomes law. 

"We're disappointed, and quite frankly, we're shocked," the leaders said in the email. "We never thought our state lawmakers would stand in the way of moving Illinois forward – not with the coalition we built, the national momentum we've seen, the incredible grassroots power we've generated. What happened today hurts. But we can promise you this – we're not going anywhere. The fight for marriage equality in Illinois is delayed, but absolutely not deterred."

The nation's largest LGBT rights group, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), and the national pro-marriage organization Freedom to Marry both issued statements blasting the failure of the Illinois House to vote on the marriage-equality bill. 

"The House of Representatives has neglected the rights of its constituents by failing to vote on marriage equality legislation," HRC President Chad Griffin said in a statement. "For months, LGBT couples and their children have had their lives put on hold throughout an exhaustive political process that ultimately came up short. Today's inaction is a prime example of why the U.S. Supreme Court must rule in favor of full marriage equality nationwide to ensure the security and welfare of these and countless other American families aren't left to chance in future political battles."

"After an overwhelming victory in the Senate, today's failue by the Illinois House is a disgrace, especially for the thousands of committed same-sex couples who want and deserve to make the ultimate vow before their friends and family and spend the rest of their lives with the person, the love, protected and supported by marriage," Marc Solomon, the national campaign director for Freedom to Marry, said in a statement. "Make no mistake, we will fight and make our case until all Illinois families have the freedom to marry the person they love and until the legislative vote reflects the solid majority of Illinoisans and Americans who stand for treating their neighbors the way they want to be treated."

Illinois was the last state on the 2013 target list for marriage-equality supporters. New Jersey legislators are still trying to find the votes to override a veto by Gov. Chris Christie (R) of a marriage-equality bill that passed in February 2012. They have until January 2014 to do so. 

[Photo 1: Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn (Credit: Chris Eaves/Wikimedia Commons).

Photo 2: As seen on the voting board, out lesbian Rep. Deb Mell (D-Chicago) speaks following the announcement that the vote on the marriage equality bill will not be voted upon (video stream courtesy of Illinois General Assembly).]

Virginia General Assembly legislators overall earned higher pro-gay rankings on an annual legislative scorecard published by Equality Virginia Advocates Monday, due largely in part to the presence of an anti-bullying bill that did not specifically address LGBT students but allows individual school districts, particularly more progressive ones, to set forth their own standards and procedures regarding bullying.

Yet despite the progress made since last year’s scorecard was issued, two-thirds of the members of the House of Delegates and nearly half the state senators are still considered to have anti-gay or, at best, mixed records on LGBT issues. The scorecard from Equality Virginia Advocates also reflects stark regional and partisan divides among members of the General Assembly, a pattern that was evident among the scores released two weeks ago by the anti-gay Family Foundation of Virginia on its annual legislative report card.

Equality Virginia Advocates graded legislators on four issues considered during this year’s legislative session: SB701, a nondiscrimination bill to extend workplace protections to LGBT state employees; HB1871, a bill establishing guidelines and model policies to aid in combating bullying in schools; a bill to allow student groups at public universities and colleges to discriminate in their membership based on religious or political beliefs; and the nomination of Tracy Thorne-Begland, Virginia’s first openly gay judge.

While SB701 was never considered by the full House, despite passing the Senate earlier, Equality Virginia Advocates rewarded those legislators who signed on as co-patrons of the measure. The organization recommended that legislators support Thorne-Begland's nomination, SB701 and HB1871; and oppose the student-groups bill.

Eighteen delegates and 18 senators received perfect "100" scores for the 2013 legislative session, with all returning members either retaining their perfect scores from 2012 or improving substantially on their LGBT records, including two Senate Republicans: Majority Leader Thomas Norment (R-Hampton, Poquoson, New Kent, Gloucester, King and Queen, King William, Isle of Wight, James City, York, Surry and Suffolk counties) and Sen. John Watkins (R-Richmond, Powhatan and Chesterfield counties).

The remaining 16 senators with perfect scores comprise 80 percent of the Democratic caucus in the upper chamber, with almost half from Northern Virginia. Among the 18 House members with perfect scores, all Democrats, all but one – House Minority Leader David Toscano (D-Charlottesville, Albemarle Co.) – hailed from Northern Virginia, the greater Richmond metropolitan area, and the Norfolk/Hampton Roads metropolitan area, three liberal-leaning areas that often provide the bulk of support for Democrats in statewide races.

Six additional senators, mostly from Northern Virginia, and 15 House members, including three Republicans, received scores of 75. Among the senators, all six were docked points for voting in favor of the student-groups bill, including George Barker (D-Alexandria, Fairfax and Prince William counties), the only senator of either party whose rating dropped from 2012 to 2013; Democrats Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax City, Fairfax Co.), Chuck Colgan (D-Manassas, Manassas Park, Prince William Co.), and Phil Puckett (D-Radford, Norton, Tazewell, Bland, Buchanan, Dickenson, Smyth, Wise, Pulaski and Montgomery counties); and moderate Republicans Jill Holtzman Vogel (R-Loudoun, Fauquier, Stafford, Culpeper, Clarke, Frederick counties, and Winchester) and Frank Wagner (R-Virginia Beach, Norfolk).

Among the House members receiving scores of 75 were six Democrats – five from Northern Virginia – who were the only delegates to receive lower ratings from Equality Virginia advocates. Dels. David Bulova (D-Fairfax City, Fairfax Co.), Eileen Filler-Corn (D-Fairfax Co.), Mark Keam (D-Fairfax Co.), Vivian Watts (D-Fairfax Co.) and Charniele Herring (D-Alexandria) were docked points for supporting the student-groups bill, while Del. Jeion Ward (D-Hampton) was penalized for failing to vote on the nomination of Thorne-Begland. The six other Democrats and Republicans Tom Rust (R-Fairfax, Loudoun counties), R. Lee Ware (R-Chesterfield, Powhatan, Goochland and Fluvanna counties) and Joseph Yost (R-Radford, Giles, Montgomery and Pulaski counties) were also penalized for voting for the student-groups bill.

Four other senators and 31 delegates, all Republicans, received a rating of 50 – indicating a mixed record – for opposing or failing to sponsor SB701 and for voting for the student-groups bill. But nearly all of them saw increases over their 2012 ratings largely due to their support of the non-LGBT-specific bullying bill.

A similar increase was seen among legislators earning a score of 25, including nine Republican senators, 26 Republican delegates and Democratic Delegates Johnny Joannou (D-Norfolk, Portsmouth) and Joseph Johnson (D-Dickenson, Russell, Washington, and Wise counties), for their support of the bullying bill. Three other members earning 25 voted against the bullying bill, but voted for Thorne-Begland's nomination.

Twelve of the 14 Northern Virginia Republican House delegates, including McLean's Barbara Comstock (R-Fairfax, Loudoun counties), Springfield's David Albo (R-Fairfax Co.), Potomac Falls resident Thomas “Tag” Greason (R-Loudoun Co.), Chantilly's James LeMunyon (D-Fairfax, Loudoun counties) and vocal anti-gay opponent Bob Marshall (R-Manassas Park, Prince William Co.) earned scores of either 50 or 25.

The three remaining senators – including Marshall’s Senate counterpart and a vehement opponent of LGBT rights Dick Black (D-Loudoun, Prince William counties), who was the only Northern Virginia senator with a score below 75 – and five delegates, including Centreville's Tim Hugo (D-Fairfax, Prince William counties), earned zero ratings for opposing every one of Equality Virginia’s policy recommendations. 

Equality Virginia Advocates is hoping that the release of ratings will help better inform voters of where the members of the legislature stand on LGBT-related issues, particularly members of the House, all 100 of whom will be up for re-election in November. 

[Photo 1: Del. Barbara Comstock, a McLean Republican, earned a 50 from Equality Virginia Advocates, indicating a mixed record on LGBT issues.

Photo 2: Del. Alfonso Lopez, an Arlington Democrat, was one of 36 legislators in the General Assembly with a perfect score of 100 from Equality Virginia Advocates.

Photo 3: Del. Tim Hugo, a Centreville Republican, earned a zero rating from Equality Virginia Advocates.]

The anti-gay Family Foundation of Virginia last week released its 2012-2013 General Assembly ratings providing overall "pro-family scores" for Virginia legislators ahead of this year’s elections for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and the House of Delegates.

The 12th edition of the "report card" ranks legislators on a number of issues the Family Foundation, an organization pushing for public policy to be based upon the values of "life, marriage, parental authority, constitutional government and religious liberty," deems important, from school choice to abortion to public prayer.

"It is our hope that the report card, along with voter guides TFF Action will distribute in the fall will motivate citizens to vote, and help them make informed choices when they go to the voting booth," the Family Foundation wrote on its website announcing the ratings.

The report card rates legislators on four specifically LGBT-related issues: the "conscience clause" adoption bill signed into law by Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) in 2012; the confirmation of Virginia’s first openly gay judge, Tracy Thorne-Begland, to the Richmond General District Court; a bill signed into law this year that allows student groups at public colleges and universities to discriminate based on religious, political or philosophical beliefs; and a measure that would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in public employment - which was considered as a bill in the Virginia Senate, and as a floor amendment to a budget bill in the House of Delegates.

The report card ratings highlight an intensely partisan divide between Democrats and Republicans when it comes to LGBT issues, particularly among those candidates seeking higher office, with Democrats largely voting in favor of LGBT rights and Republicans opposed, even in the more socially liberal areas of Northern Virginia.

Nine state senators and 13 delegates received perfect scores on a scale of 0 to 100 from the Family Foundation, including two of the seven canddiates for lieutenant governor: Del. Scott Lingamfelter (R-Prince William, Fauquier counties) and Sen. Stephen Martin (R-Chesterfield, Amelia counties, Colonial Heights). Both Republican candidates for attorney general were also among those getting top marks from the Family Foundation: Sen. Mark Obenshain (R-Harrisonburg, Rockingham, Rappahannock, Shenandoah, Page, Warren counties) and Del. Rob Bell (R-Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Rockingham counties).

In contrast, Sen. Mark Herring (D-Loudoun, Fairfax counties), one of two Democrats running for his party’s nomination for attorney general, received a score of just 18; while Sen. Ralph Northam (D-Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Northampton, Mathews, Accomack counties), one of two Democrats running for lieutenant governor, received a rating of 25. Herring's and Northam's respective party-primary candidates, Justin Fairfax and Aneesh Chopra, were not rated by the Family Foundation, as they are not members of the General Assembly. 

Two other legislators from Northern Virginia received perfect scores from the Family Foundation: Sen. Dick Black (R-Loudoun, Prince William counties) and Del. David Ramadan (R-Loudoun, Prince William counties).

On the other end of the spectrum, four delegates, all Democrats from Northern Virginia, received zero ratings: Bob Brink (D-Arlington, Fairfax counties), Patrick Hope (D-Arlington), Kaye Kory (D-Fairfax Co.) and Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax Co.).

On the four LGBT issues graded by the Family Foundation, almost all Northern Virginia senators - aside from Black - were pro-LGBT, with seven voting against the "conscience clause" and student group discrimination bills, and in favor of the nomination of Thorne-Begland and the employment nondiscrimination bill. Those seven earned scores ranging from 12 to 24. 

Two other senators, George Barker (D-Alexandria, Fairfax, Prince William counties) and Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax City, Fairfax Co.), who voted in favor of the student-groups bill, netted ratings of 21 and 41, respectively.

Sens. Chuck Colgan (D-Manassas, Manassas Park, Prince William Co.) and Jill Holtzman Vogel (R-Loudoun, Fauquier, Clarke, Frederick counties, Winchester) voted for the student groups and the "conscience clause" bills but pro-gay on the other two votes, earning them higher ratings from the anti-LGBT group: 53 for Colgan and 89 for Vogel. 

A partisan divide was more apparent among the 29 delegates representing Northern Virginia, with 14 of 15 Democrats taking pro-LGBT positions. Their overall scores ranged from 0 to 38. 

The remaining Democrat, Del. David Bulova (D-Fairfax Co.), earned a Family Foundation rating of 26 and had a mostly pro-gay record, though he did vote for the student groups bill pushed by the Family Foundation.

Vocally anti-gay Democrat Del. Bob Marshall (Manassas Park, Prince William Co.) earned a 93 rating. He was one of seven Northern Virginia Republicans who earned scores from 90 to 100 from the Family Foundation. All seven supported anti-gay legislation and opposed any progress on LGBT rights in the legislature.

Six other Republicans, including some often purported to be among the GOP's moderates – Del. David Albo (R-Fairfax Co.), Del. Barbara Comstock (R-Fairfax, Loudoun counties), Del. Tag Greason (R-Loudoun Co.), Del. Randy Minchew (R-Loudoun, Clarke, Frederick counties), Del. Joe May (R-Loudoun, Clarke, Frederick counties), and Del. Tom Rust (R-Fairfax, Loudoun counties) – all voted to confirm Thorne-Begland, but otherwise voted according to the Family Foundation's recommendations. Del. Jim LeMunyon (R-Fairfax, Loudoun counties) had a mixed record of support for LGBT issues. 

Among those seven, the Family Foundation of Virginia rated Albo an 80, Comstock an 89, Greason an 88, Minchew an 89, May an 88, Rust a 63, and LeMunyon a 74.  

LeMunyon and Rust, while earning some of the lowest "pro-family" ratings among Republicans in the General Assembly, still rated significantly higher than most Democrats in the Family Foundation's assessment. 

Equality Virginia, the commonwealth's major nonpartisan LGBT-rights organization, will release its own scorecards for members of the General Assembly Monday. 

[Photo 1: Sen. Dick Black (R), of Leesburg, who scored 100 on the Family Foundation's legislative report card (courtesy of Virginia General Assembly).]

[Photo 2: Del. Scott Surovell (D), of Mount Vernon, a longtime LGBT ally, earned a zero rating on the Family Founation's legislative report card (courtesy of Virginia General Assembly).]

A Washington Post poll of Virginians regarding various social issues shows that a majority of Virginians believe same-sex marriage should be legal, a finding that challenges other polls in recent years showing that marriage equality still lacks broad support across the commonwealth.

According to the Post poll, 56 percent of Virginia adults believe it should be legal for gay and lesbian couples to get married, while 34 percent think it should be illegal. Ten percent expressed no opinion. Among registered voters, those who thought it should be legal led by a similar margin, 56 to 33 percent.

The poll was conducted by telephone from April 29 to May 2 among a random sample of 1,000 adults in Virginia, including 887 registered voters and users of both conventional and cellular phones. Among registered voters, the poll has a margin of error of 4 percentage points. 

The Post poll found majority support among Democrats and independents, while Republicans were split on the issue. Among registered voters who identify as Democrats, 75 percent thought marriage equality should be legal and 21 percent illegal. Fifty-six percent of self-described independents who are registered voters say same-sex marriage should be legal, 33 percent illegal. Among Republicans who are registered voters, 40 percent say same-sex nuptials should be legal, while 47 percent say they should be illegal. Virginia does not register voters by party, so polling relies on self-identification. 

Among all adults, regardless of voter-registration status, liberals and moderates support marriage equality by overwhelming margins – liberals by an 82-15 spread and moderates by a 65-27 spread. Only a third, or 32 percent, of conservatives, support marriage equality, with 53 percent opposed.

The Post poll also found strong support among demographic groups that tend to skew more politically liberal, with women more strongly supportive than men, and nonwhites more supportive than whites. Whereas 53 percent of Virginia men believe same-sex marriage should be legal, 60 percent of women in Virginia do. Whites favor marriage equality by a 54-37 margin, and nonwhites by a 62-28 margin. Among African-Americans, that margin increases to 64-28.

In keeping with national trends and polling from other states, Virginians ages 18 to 29 support same-sex marriage by a 72-22 margin. Support for legal same-sex marriage ranges from 54 to 60 percent among those in 30 to 64, but a majority of those over 65 believe same-sex marriage should be illegal, with only 35 percent in favor and 53 percent opposed.

Geographically, the greatest support for marriage equality in in the D.C. suburubs, with 69 percent saying same-sex marriage should be legal and 22 percent saying illegal. But residents in Central and Western Virginia say same-sex marriage should be illegal by a 56-38 spread.

The Post poll directly conflicts with an April poll by the University of Mary Washington Center for Leadership and Media Studies, which found only 45 percent of voters in Virginia support allowing same-sex couples to legally wed in the commonwealth.

The Mary Washington poll also contradicted the findings of the Post poll in terms of support for same-sex marriage among different racial groups. According to that poll, white voters in Virginia oppose allowing same-sex nuptials by 50-46 percent and African-Americans oppose the idea by 54-40 percent, while Hispanics support same-sex marriage by a 64-34 spread.

The Mary Washington poll is more consistent with polling from 2011 and 2012 done by the North Carolina-based firm Public Policy Polling, which found majorities of Virginians opposing same-sex marriage. But two other Post polls from 2011 and 2012 found a plurality of support for same-sex marriage in Virginia, with 47 percent and 49 percent, respectively, supporting the idea that it should be legal. 

In an interview with Metro Weekly, James Parrish, the executive director of the nonpartisan LGBT rights organization Equality Virginia called the results of the Post poll "exciting to see."

"It's definitely nice to see, but it's something we expected," Parrish said. "Support in Virginia mirrors what’s going on nationally. Hopefully, this will set Virginia up to be able to remove the marriage amendment and allow same-sex couples to marry in the state."

Parrish noted that the strongest movement in support for LGBT rights has occurred among Republicans. He said that polling by Equality Virginia has also seen that shift among Republicans in its own polling, which explains why a bill supporting workplace nondiscrimination protections in state employment garnered stronger-than-usal support from Republicans this past legislative session. That measure passed the state Senate 24-16 before being killed in committee by members of the House of Delegates.

According to Equality Virginia's polling, workplace discrimination had the most support among all groups, and marriage equality had the least support. But Parrish said that has implications for other pro-LGBT measures the organization has been trying to get passed in recent years.

"What Equality Virginia and LGBT Virginians can take from this is not only should we expect to see support for marriage equality, but that there’s clear, broad support for workplace discrimination protections and allowing LGBT families to adopt," Parrish said, noting that both issues consistently outperform marriage. "It's good to see that Virginia is consistent with the national trend. Unfortunately, it also shows that the members of the House of Delegates do not represent what most Virginians are thinking."

[Photo: Gay couple holding hands (Photo credit: Till Krech, courtesy Wikimedia Commons).]

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton (D) today signed into law a measure that allows same-sex couples access to civil marriage licenses, making the North Star State the 12th state to legalize marriage equality. 

At a signing ceremony outside the Capitol in St. Paul, Dayton invoked the founding principles of the country, as found in the Declaration of Independence's promise of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" and as guaranteed by the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which ensures equal protection under the law. 

The marriage-equality bill passed the state Senate on a 37-30 vote Monday, with 36 Democrats and Republican Branden Petersen (R-Andover) voting in favor and 27 Republicans and 3 Democrats - Lyle Koenen (D-Clara City), LeRoy Stumpf (D-Plummer) and Dan Sparks (D-Austin) - voting against. It passed the House of Representatives on May 9 by a 75-59 vote that saw four Republicans - David FitzSimmons (R-Albertville), Jennifer Loon (R-Eden Prairie), Andrea Kieffer (D-Woodbury) and Pat Garofalo (R-Farmington) - voting with 71 of the lower chamber's 73 Democrats to ensure passage, while two other Democrats, Mary Sawatzky (D-Willmar) and Patti Fritz (D-Faribault) voted against.

During speeches following Dayton's signing of the law given by prominent legislative leaders and activists who were crucial to the bill's success, House Speaker Paul Thissen (D-Minneapolis) said that the way in which proponents advocated on behalf of the marriage-equality bill and changed hearts and minds through one-on-one conversations could be a model, not just for marriage equality, but for how to move Minnesota forward. Other speakers, including out lesbian Rep. Karen Clark (D-Minneapolis) and out gay Sen. Scott Dibble (D-Minneapolis), used the opportunity to celebrate how far the marriage-equality bill has come in the two years since the then-Republican-controlled Legislature forced a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage onto the 2012 ballot. Minnesota voters later rejected the amendment, with 53 percent voting against it, and voted to put Democrats in charge of the Legislature, making passage of a pro-LGBT measure like marriage-equality possible. 

Minnesota same-sex couples will be able to marry starting Aug. 1, when the law takes effect.

Other states, including New Jersey, Nevada and Oregon, are also pushing seeing efforts toward marriage equality. In Illinois, which has no constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, Gov. Pat Quinn (D) has called on legislators in his state's House of Representatives to pass a marriage-equality bill that was passed by the state Senate on Valentine's Day by a 34-21 vote. With Democrats holding a supermajority in both chambers, the bill's success relies on attracting the support of rank-and-file Democrats, particularly African-American lawmakers and those who represent areas with large amounts of conservative Democrats, such as the Northwest and Southwest sides of Chicago and the vote-rich "collar counties" that surround Cook County.  

[Photo: Gov. Mark Dayton (courtesy of the governor's office).]

Delaware Gov. Jack Markell (D) today signed into law a bill allowing same-sex couples to obtain civil marriage licenses, making Delaware the 11th state to legalize marriage equality.

Markell signed the bill at a ceremony held at Legislative Hall, sending out a tweet reading: "Signed #MarriageEquality bill into law @LegHall bc no one should have to wait one more min. #NetDE is truly grt place to live, learn and love."

The governor signed the bill less than an hour after the state Senate passed the marriage-equality bill, HB 75, by a 12-9 margin. Eleven Democrats and Republican Sen. Catherine Cloutier (R-Heatherbrooke) voted in favor, while the other seven Republicans joined with Democratic Sens. Bruce Ennis (D-Clayton) and Robert Venables Sr. (D-Laurel) in opposing the measure. The bill previously passed the House of Representatives on April 23, 23-18. 

The new marriage-equality law is slated to go into effect July 1. 

[Photo: Gov. Jack Markell (Courtesy of the Office of the Governor)]

Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee (I) signed into law this evening two bills that legalize same-sex civil marriages in the Ocean State, making it the 10th state to approve marriage equality.

The measures passed the House of Representatives earlier in the afternoon, 56-15, sending two bills – H5015 and S38 – to Chafee for his signature. Thursday's vote marked the second time the House had voted on same-sex marriage, the first being in January when the original version of H5015, sponsored by Rep. Art Handy (D-Cranston), passed by a 51-19 margin.

The wider margin of today's vote was provided by the addition of two marriage-equality supporters, Rep. Donna Walsh (D-Charlestown) and Rep. Brian Patrick Kennedy (D-Hopkinton), both of whom were absent in January; and Rep. Deborah Fellela (D-Johnston) and Rep. Spencer Dickinson (D-South Kingstown), who both expressed opposition back in January but did not vote on the original measure.

In addition, two legislators who voted "no" in January -- Rep. Raymond Johnston (D-Pawtucket) and Rep. Patricia Morgan (R-West Warwick) -- switched their votes to "yes." Morgan's vote places her in a small, but growing, contingent of state Republicans supporting marriage equality, along with House Minority Leader Brian Newberry (R-North Smithfield) and all five Republican members of the state Senate.

Both marriage-equality measures had experienced some resistance in the Senate, where leadership, including Senate President M. Teresa Paiva-Weed (D-Newport) and Senate Majority Leader Dominick Ruggerio (D-North Providence), were opposed. But amended versions of both House and Senate bills – with additional religious protections extended to fraternal societies and other organizations that are not technically religious organizations, such as the Knights of Columbus – passed the upper chamber, 26-12, on April 24.

"I know you have been waiting for this day to come," Chafee told supporters who gathered to watch him sign the bills into law, noting that many advocates for same-sex marriage had passed away throughout the nearly two-decade struggle to grant gay and lesbian couples the same rights as their heterosexual counterparts. "But I am proud to say, now, at long last, you are free to marry the person you love."

In yesterday's issue of The New York Times Chafee penned a column in which he justified his support for same-sex nuptials, recalling that he was one of just four senators – and the only Republican, at the time – to announce his support for marriage equality in 2004 and again in 2006, when voting against a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage as a member of the U.S. Senate.

"A historic realignment is happening all around us, as Americans from all walks of life realize that this is the right thing to do," Chafee wrote. "It is occurring both inside and outside of politics, through conversations at the office and over kitchen tables, and at different speeds in different parts of the country. But once the people have spoken, politics should do its part to make change efficient and constructive. … I personally feel that Rhode Island is a better state, and America is a better country, when we are as inclusive as possible." 

Speaker Gordon Fox (D-Providence) also spoke at the bill signing, thanking supporters, fellow legislators and citizens who championed and lobbied on behalf of the House and Senate bills. He also thanked Paiva-Weed for her leadership in choosing to step aside and allow senators to vote their conscience, despite her personal opposition to the measures, something he noted could be a political risk to her, particularly if she was perceived to have lost control of her caucus. 

"When she stepped aside and kept her promise to let this vote take place...she was truly a supporter in this cause," Fox said of Paiva-Weed.

Responding to the news, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's top LGBT-rights organization, issued a statement praising the passage of marriage equality in the Ocean State, which brings the number of Americans living in states with legal same-sex marriage to nearly 50 million. 

"The unprecedented momentum for marriage across the country continues, with Rhode Island becoming the first state of 2013 to say yes to marriage equality," HRC President Chad Griffin said in a statement. "As the Supreme Court deliberates the fundamental right to marry the person you love, these historic and bipartisan victories keep mounting and prove the country is ready for marriage equality."

The national organization Freedom to Marry also issued a statement commemorating the law's passage. 

"Today Rhode Island - and now all of New England - has embraced the freedom to marry and lived up to our American promise of liberty and justice for all," Marc Solomon, the national director for Freedom to Marry, said in a statement. "That the entire Rhode Island Senate GOP caucus joined with a vast majority of Democratic lawmakers to live up to the state's values in voting for marriage will inspire more momentum in more states. It is time now for the Supreme Court to uphold these American values for all loving and committed couples."

With Chafee's signature, same-sex couples will be able to obtain civil marriage licenses starting Aug. 1. 

[Photo 1: Gov. Lincoln Chafee signs the marriage-equality bills into law (video feed courtesy of Capitol TV, R.I. General Assembly). Photo 2: Screenshot of the vote tally for the final House vote (video courtesy of Capitol TV, R.I. General Assembly).] ..

Del. Heather Mizeur (D-Montgomery), one of eight openly LGBT members of the Maryland General Assembly, stunned political observers Saturday by placing second in a straw poll of Western Maryland Democrats, demonstrating she could be a formidable candidate in the race for the next governor of Maryland.

At the informal gathering of Democrats in Hagerstown, Mizeur earned 37 votes, or about 27 percent of 142 votes cast, in the Western Maryland Democratic Summit straw poll for governor. She placed behind current Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, who earned 62 votes, or 44 percent, and ahead of Attorney General Doug Gansler, who earned 25 votes, or 18 percent, and Howard County Executive Ken Ulman, who earned 17 votes, or 12 percent. Only one vote was cast for U.S. Rep. C.A. "Dutch" Ruppersberger, a Baltimore-area congressman who represents parts of southern and eastern Baltimore County and Harford County.

In an email to supporters, Joanna Belanger, campaign manager for the candidate committee Friends of Heather Mizeur, touted Mizeur's second-place finish in the straw poll and solicited donations. Last Thursday, prior to the straw poll, Belanger had sent out another email citing an article published in The Baltimore Sun that mentioned the other four potential candidates for governor – no one has officially announced yet – but omitted Mizeur, in which columnist Dan Rodricks called the governor's seat "the big-daddy chair." 

"Sometimes you really have to wonder if these folks realize that it’s 2013 now, and that women won’t be ignored and dismissed," Belanger wrote in the first email, adding, "We deserve and demand better" before asking Mizeur supporters to sign a petition stating their support by "send[ing] a message that Maryland isn't a boys' club – and there’s no such thing as the 'big-daddy chair.'"

From a political standpoint, Mizuer's finish in the straw poll is significant as the bulk of the candidates will be competing for votes in Montgomery and Prince George's counties, meaning establishing a base of support in Western Maryland and other regions outside of the Capital Beltway could prove crucial to whether Mizeur is able to galvanize enough supporters to set her on the path to becoming the state’s first female and first out governor. 

Even if she doesn't eventually run for governor, showing some degree of political strength or an ability to carry votes among certain segments of voters – such as women, LGBT voters or those from Western Maryland – could make her a political kingmaker in the Democratic primary, or a strong candidate for lieutenant governor as part of a joint ticket with one of the other candidates, such as Gansler. 

The Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee's 13 members today unanimously approved two amended bills legalizing same-sex marriage, H5015 and S38, putting both measures on track for a Thursday vote by the full House, the last legislative hurdle before Gov. Lincoln Chafee, an Independent, can sign marriage equality into law.

The bills were amended in the Senate Judiciary Committee last week to include broader religious exemptions that extend to fraternal societies and organizations – like the Knights of Columbus, which are not religious in nature, but claim affiliation with particular religions – allowing them to refuse to rent facilities or services that might be used for same-sex marriages. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved both bills on a 7-4 vote, and the full Senate approved the measures by a vote of 26-12 on April 24.

Longtime LGBT rights activist Kate Monteiro, in testifying before the House Judiciary Committee, said there is hypocrisy in allowing fraternal societies or similar organizations to discriminate against same-sex couples by citing moral or religious objections, since those groups already rent facilities, services, accommodations or other benefits to other who violate particular religious tenets, such as those who are divorced or have children out of wedlock. But Monteiro also said she was willing to accept those exemptions if it meant Rhode Island would be able to pass marriage equality to protect the rights of LGBT families.

While all 13 members of the committee voted to move the bills to the House floor, Rep. Doreen Costa (R-North Kingstown), the committee's sole Republican, warned that although she was voting to move the bill out of committee, she – and other legislators – will be opposing the measures when they are debated by the full House.

The original version of H5015 passed the House by a 51-19 vote in January, and is expected to garner more than the 38 votes required to pass the lower chamber, though opponents may offer amendments to try and derail the bill, including the possibility of raising an amendment – defeated in committee and on the floor of the Senate – that would subject marriage equality to a statewide vote via referendum.

In response to the committee vote, Rhode Islanders United for Marriage, the state's primary organization advocating for passage of marriage equality, issued a statement.

"We are proud that once again legislation allowing all Ocean State families the freedom to marry has earned the unanimous support of the House Judiciary Committee," Devin Driscoll, communications director for Rhode Islanders United for Marriage, said. "Our campaign is continuing to ensure the voices of the tens of thousands of Rhode Islanders who support marriage equality are heard on Smith Hill, and we look forward to Thursday’s debate and vote on the House floor."

House Speaker Gordon Fox (D-Providence), a gay man, is a strong proponent of the marriage-equality legislation. If the bill passes the House with all of the Senate amendments intact, and no additional amendments, it will head to Chafee's desk for his signature. Once signed into law, the measure will enable same-sex marriages to be performed starting Aug. 1. 

[Photo: Rep. Doreen Costa (courtesy of R.I. General Assembly).]

The conservative Family Research Council (FRC) this week posted two videos of accused shooter Floyd Lee Corkins II to its YouTube page pointing the finger at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) for listing FRC as a hate group, just days before Corkins is to be sentenced for attempting to shoot and kill FRC employees at the organization's D.C. headquarters last August.

The first video, posted Wednesday, shows Corkins being interrogated by FBI investigators, telling them he got the name of FRC from a list of anti-gay hate groups posted on SPLC’s website. The second video, posted Thursday, features security footage taken from cameras showing Corkins shooting at and being subdued by security guard Leonardo Reno "Leo" Johnson, who was shot in the arm by Corkins. The second video also repeats the interrogation footage posted Wednesday, claims the SPLC was "connected in federal court to this first domestic terrorism conviction in Washington, D.C. under this post-9/11 law," and says that SPLC has refused to remove FRC from its list of hate groups.

The videos come just days before Corkins, of Herndon, Va., is scheduled for sentencing in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Monday, April 29.

Corkins previously pleaded guilty in February to three felony charges: committing an act of terrorism while armed – becoming the first defendant charged and convicted under the District of Columbia’s Anti-Terrorism Act of 2002, which prosecutes actions committed with the intent to "intimidate or coerce a significant population of the District of Columbia or the United States" – assault with intent to kill while armed and interstate transportation of a firearm and ammunition.

Both pieces of video footage on FRC's YouTube channel came from government evidence exhibits that were made public following the filing of a sentencing memorandum by the government on April 19, in which prosecutors asked for a 45-year prison sentence for Corkins. Under sentencing guidelines, Corkins could have served up to a maximum of 30 years in prison for the terrorism offense and the assault charge, and up to 10 years for the weapons-related charge.

"In sum, Mr. Johnson's actual pain and suffering, coupled with the emotional trauma endured by the FRC employees, must also be considered in fashioning any overall sentence that the defendant receives," the government concluded in its memorandum. "Accordingly, the Government submits that an aggregate sentence of 45 years for the defendant's three separate offenses would be consistent with and not disparate from those of similarly situated defendants."

According to the facts of the case, as acknowledged by Corkins's decision to plead guilty, Corkins, who once briefly served as a volunteer front-desk receptionist for The DC Center, the District’s major LGBT community center, purchased a semiautomatic pistol from a store in Virginia on Aug. 9, 2012, and picked up the weapon with the intent of shooting and killing as many employees at FRC as possible. On Aug. 13, Corkins rehearsed his planned trip to FRC headquarters, and returned to the gun store the following day for shooting practice.

On Aug. 15, Corkins rode Metrorail into the District and went into FRC’s headquarters at 801 G St. NW, in the city’s Chinatown neighborhood. To gain access to the building, he told Johnson he was interviewing as a prospective intern. Corkins then approached the unarmed Johnson, pulled the pistol from his backpack and pointed it at him. Johnson charged Corkins and the two struggled as Corkins fired three shots, striking Johnson in the arm. Despite his wounds, Johnson subdued Corkins and handed him over to Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers prior to the arrival of federal officers. For his actions in protecting the FRC staff, Mayor Vincent Gray awarded Johnson with the inaugural Mayor’s Medal of Honor on Oct. 22, 2012.

Police later discovered two fully-loaded magazine clips in Corkins's pants pockets, as well as a Metro card and a handwritten list of organizations that included FRC and three other groups promoting socially conservative or anti-gay agendas. Corkins also had a box of 50 rounds of 9-millimeter ammunition in his backpack, and 15 individually-wrapped sandwiched from Chick-fil-A he had purchased the day prior to the shooting.

Under questioning by FBI agents, Corkins claimed he was a political activist and stated that he had intended to kill as many people as he could and smear the Chick-fil-A sandwiches into their faces. He claimed he had identified FRC as an anti-gay organization from the list on the SPLC website. According to investigators, Corkins said he had been thinking about committing similar violent acts for years but had never gone through with them, and that had he not been stopped at FRC headquarters, he planned to go down the list to the next organization and commit a similar shooting there. He also said he had originally wanted to make a bomb, but did not have the patience for it.

In an April 25 press release, FRC noted that Corkins had cited the SPLC in his interrogation by FBI investigators.

"[Corkins's] act of terrorism has put sunlight on SPLC, which has targeted a wide swath of Americans for standing up for traditional values, most often Christian and conservative," FRC noted in its release.

"The SPLC's reckless labeling has led to devastating consequences," FRC President Tony Perkins said in a statement. "Because of its 'hate group' labeling, a deadly terrorist had a guidemap to FRC and other organizations. Our team is still dealing with the fallout from the attack, that was intended to have a chilling effect on organizations that are simply fighting for their values. 

"The Southern Poverty Law Center, which has now been linked to domestic terrorism in federal court, should put an immediate stop to its practice of labeling organizations that oppose their promotion of homosexuality," Perkins continued. "In a civil society, shutting down debate is not how reasonable people and organizations operate. Intimidating and bullying others shreds the 'ordered liberty' of which our Founders wrote and for which they advocated, and places all of us in jeopardy of losing our sacred rights as militant extremists claim the public square exclusively for themselves."

A spokesperson from SPLC was not immediately available for comment.

[Photo: Screenshot of the YouTube video showing Corkins pointing a gun at Johnson (courtesy of the Family Research Council.)]

The Rhode Island State Senate overwhelmingly approved amended House and Senate versions of a marriage-equality bill on a 26-12 vote Wednesday evening, sending the measures back to the House of Representatives for a final vote before they can be signed into law by Independent Gov. Lincoln Chafee, a strong supporter of marriage equality.

The Democratic-dominated Senate, which counts many vocal opponents of same-sex marriage among its leadership, was seen as the last hurdle to making Rhode Island the 10th state (and 11th jurisdiction, including the District of Columbia) to allow same-sex couples to obtain civil marriage licenses. But Senate President M. Teresa Paiva-Weed (D-Newport) and one of her chief allies, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Michael McCaffrey (D-Warwick), helped move the measures through various obstacles to the floor of the Senate to ensure both bills received fair debate, despite both of them voting against the bills.

The Senate version of the marriage-equality bill, S38, sponsored by Sen. Donna Nesselbush (D-Pawtucket), and the House version, H5015, sponsored by Rep. Art Handy (D-Cranston), both passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 7-4 vote Tuesday, a month after the committee held a 12-hour marathon hearing on the two bills, as well as a third that would have placed the issue on the November 2014 ballot as a referendum. That bill, sponsored by Sen. Frank Ciccone (D-Providence) was defeated Tuesday on a 6-5 vote.

During Wednesday's debate on the Senate floor, Ciccone offered a floor amendment that would have replaced the marriage-equality bill with one identical to his proposed referendum bill, which would have asked voters to approve or reject same-sex marriage, contingent upon approving sweeping religious or moral protections to carve out special exemptions for non-religious organizations, fraternal societies and business owners by allowing them to discriminate against gay and lesbian couples, thereby undermining LGBT legal protections provided by a 1995 Rhode Island antidiscrimination law. After several minutes of debate, Ciccone's amendment was defeated 28-10, with even Paiva-Weed voting against it.

Many legislators speaking in favor of the bill frequently adopted terminology used by national politicians like President Barack Obama, saying they "evolved" on their thinking regarding same-sex civil marriages. Supporters frequently pointed to religious protections for clergy and religious institutions in both marriage-equality bills that they said were sufficient without going "overboard," as one senator referred to the exemptions in Ciccone's bill.

Several legislators also recalled conversations they had with close friends and constituents who were gay or lesbian and who shared their stories with senators in the lead up to the vote. Still others, including Sen. Elizabeth Crowley (D-Central Falls) and Sen. Erin Lynch (D-Warwick), said they "feared" the vote on marriage equality, because they knew that they would upset some constituents no matter which way they voted. Both senators voted in favor of same-sex nuptials.

"I was a 'no' vote once," Sen. Jamie Doyle (D-Pawtucket) said during debate, noting that he didn't personally object to marriage equality, but thought his constituency, a district with large numbers of white conservative Democrats in eastern Pawtucket, was opposed. But after talking to a lifelong friend, a lesbian, and learning about the inequality between his marriage and hers, legal in Massachusetts but not recognized by the federal government, he changed his mind.

"My views have evolved," Doyle said. "If two people are prepared to make a lifetime commitment ... the government shouldn't deny them the opportunity to get married."

Then, jokingly, Doyle said, "I gotta be honest with you folks. If the first thing our Lord asks me is, 'Why did I vote that way on same-sex marriage?' then I'm doing pretty good." 

But opponents of marriage equality also had their moments in the spotlight. Sen. Harold Metts (D-Providence) issued a long, rambling discourse that jumped from quoting the Bible, to accusing same-sex marriage proponents of running a Republican candidate and a Hispanic Democrat candidate against him, to linking Chinese currency manipulation and that country's global power to the emergence of same-sex marriage as a U.S. political issue.

In a more measured and manner, Sen. Ed O'Neill, the chamber's sole Independent, said he opposed the bill and urged senators to "vote their conscience" and follow their "moral compass," regardless of pressure from outside groups. 

Both the Senate and House versions of the marriage-equality law passed by identical margins. In a historic show of support, all five Republicans in the upper chamber voted in favor of the bills, becoming the first full caucus of either major political party of any state in the nation to endorse marriage equality. The five had previously pledged to support the measure prior to the Judiciary Committee vote Tuesday.

Following the Senate vote, Rhode Islanders United for Marriage, the grassroots organizing campaign dedicated to legalizing same-sex nuptials in the Ocean State, issued a press release praising the marriage-equality bills' passage. 

"This is an historic day," Ray Sullivan, campaign director for Rhode Islanders United for Marriage, said in a statement. "We are close to the end of a journey that began in 1997, and today we took a giant step toward ensuring all loving, committed couples in Rhode Island have the freedom to marry. When we began this campaign in January, many thought we'd never succeed in the Senate. But, thanks to the tireless efforts of the many volunteers who knocked thousands of doors, made thousands of calls and wrote thousands of letters -- we did it."

"We are elated, but our work is not yet done," Sullivan warned, tempering the jubilant mood of many marriage-equality supporters following Senate passage. "We look forward to ensuring Representatives hear from their constituents in support of S38 and H5015 as they go back to the House for a final vote." 

Both bills, which were amended in the Judiciary Committee to clarify the religious protections, now go back to the House of Representatives, which passed H5015 in January by a 51-19 vote.

In a tweet, House Speaker Gordon Fox (D-Providence) wrote he was "looking forward" to a vote on the bills in the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, April 30, and an expected floor vote by the full chamber on Thursday, May 2. The House Judiciary Committee passed the original version of H5015 out of committee on a unanimous vote, and only one member voted against it on the floor.

Once the House approves the amended bills, they will be combined and submitted to Chafee for his signature into law. Once signed, the law will take effect on Aug. 1.

[Photo 1: Map rendering of Senate vote, with districts of supporters in green and opponents in red (mapping tool courtesy of Dave's Redistricting App). 
Photo 2: Sen. Jamie Doyle (courtesy of R.I. General Assembly).]

The Rhode Island State Senate Judiciary Committee today approved two bills – H5015 and S38 – aimed at legalizing same-sex marriage in the Ocean State, while rejecting another bill that would have placed same-sex marriage as a referendum on the November 2014 ballot.

The 10-member committee convened at 3 p.m. with Senate Majority Leader Dominick Ruggerio (D-North Providence) exercising his standing as an ex-officio member of the committee to cast votes on the three pieces of legislation. 

The committee first considered S708, the referendum bill proposed by Sen. Frank Ciccone (D-Providence). The bill would have asked Rhode Island voters whether to approve or reject same-sex marriage, but would have also introduced sweeping religious/moral exemptions for non-religious entities, including small businesses, allowing them to discriminate against gays and lesbians in public accommodations, which is currently prohibited by state law.

Sens. Stephen Archambault (D-Smithfield), Leonidas "Lou" Raptakis (D-Coventry), Donna Nesselbush (D-Pawtucket), Paul Jabour (D-Providence), Erin Lynch (D-Warwick) and Dawson Tucker Hodgson (R-North Kingstown), the committee’s sole Republican, won the vote to kill the bill. Ruggerio and Judiciary Committee Chairman Michael McCaffrey (D-Warwick) voted for the bill, joined by Sens. William Conley (D-East Providence), Harold Metts (D-Providence) and Frank Lombardi (D-Cranston).

The committee then considered two marriage-equality bills, both of which would allow same-sex couples access to state marriage licenses while also ensuring some protections to religious institutions opposed to marriage equality. Both H5015, the House version sponsored by Rep. Art Handy (D-Cranston), which passed the House in January on a 51-19 vote, and S38, sponsored by Nesselbush, passed the committee 7-4.

Voting in favor were Archambault, Conley, Hodgson, Nesselbush, Raptakis, Jabour and Lynch. Voting against both were Ruggerio, McCaffrey, Metts and Lombardi.

Ray Sullivan, campaign director for the pro-marriage-equality group Rhode Islanders United for Marriage, issued a statement after the committee votes.

"This is an incredible and historic step forward in the campaign to ensure all loving, committed couples in Rhode Island have the freedom to marry," Sullivan said in the statement. "We are pleased and proud that the members of the Judiciary Committee were so receptive to the thousands of their constituents who reached out and urged them to vote yes on Senator Nesselbush's bill. We will continue to connect the supermajority of Rhode Islanders who support marriage equality with their senators before a floor vote, and believe we have the momentum to achieve victory on this critical issue."

A January poll form the North Carolina-based Public Policy Polling shows 57 percent of Rhode Islanders support marriage equality, while 36 percent are opposed. The margin of error for the poll is 4 points. A February poll from Brown University's Taubman Center showed 60 percent of Rhode Islanders support marriage equality, with 26 percent opposed. The margin of error for that poll is also 4 points.

Sullivan also praised the committee for voting down S708, saying, "Members of the committee heard from their constituents in strong opposition to putting fundamental rights on the ballot, and we thank them for defeating this divisive and harmful referendum bill."

Rhode Islanders United for Marriage claims that since its launch in January its volunteers have knocked on more than 25,000 doors, made more than 12,000 phone calls and delivered 1,631 constituent letters to legislators urging them to support marriage equality. 

Both bills will now head to the floor of the Senate for debate and a vote by the full chamber. Opponents are expected to offer amendments to the bill. The bills' success will depend on the ability of marriage-equality supporters to maintain a coalition comprised of the chamber's five-member Republican caucus, which endorsed S38 early Tuesday morning, and 16 liberal-to-moderate Democrats who have each individually promised to support a marriage-equality bill at some point in the past year, against conservative Democrats in Senate leadership who wish to see both measures defeated.

If H5015 passes the Senate with no amendments, it could go to the desk of Gov. Lincoln Chafee (I), who has promised to sign it into law. If S38 is passed, or both bills are amended on the Senate floor, the legislation will go back to the House Judiciary Committee, then the full House for a vote on the amended measure, before heading to Chafee. 

[Photo: Sen. Donna Nesselbush, lead sponsor of marriage equality bill S38 (courtesy of R.I. General Assembly.]

Supporters of marriage equality in the Ocean State got a huge boost Tuesday morning from Senate Republicans, just hours ahead of a scheduled vote by the State Senate Judiciary Committee on three bills: two that would allow same-sex couples access to marriage licenses; and one that would allow Rhode Island voters to approve or reject same-sex marriage. 

All five members of the Rhode Island Senate Republican Caucus – Minority Leader Dennis Algiere (Westerly) and Sens. Dawson Tucker Hodgson (North Kingstown), Christopher Ottiano (Portsmouth), Nick Kettle (Coventry) and David Bates (Barrington), a former opponent of same-sex marriage – announced their support for S38, the marriage-equality bill sponsored by out lesbian Sen. Donna Nesselbush (D-Pawtucket), in a statement this morning.

The statement did not mention of S708, an opposing bill sponsored by Sen. Frank Ciccone (D-Providence), which would place a measure on the November 2014 ballot asking voters to approve or reject same-sex marriages, but includes a number of far-reaching religious/moral excepmtions that would extend to non-religious organizations such as the Knights of Columbus and small-business owners or managers, allowing them to deny service to gays and lesbians in public accommodations. Such exemptions would gut parts of a 1995 measure, signed into law by former Gov. Lincoln Almond (R), that prohibits discrimination in employment, credit, housing and public accommodation based on sexual orientation. Bates and Kettle previously signed on as cosponsors of S708, though Kettle later withdrew his support.

Through their endorsement of the marriage-equality bill, the caucus becomes the first of either major political party to unanimously support the freedom to marry. It also places them in stark contrast to their six fellow Republicans in Rhode Island’s House of Representatives, five of whom voted in January against H5015, a marriage-equality bill nearly identical to S38, with House Minority Leader Brian Newberry (R-North Smithfield) casting the sole "aye" vote.

"Our Senate Republican Caucus is deeply committed to the values of freedom, liberty and limited government," the members of the caucus said in this morning's statement. "In accordance with those values, we believe that freedom means freedom for everyone, and that every citizen of Rhode Island deserves the freedom to marry the person they love."

The five senators join 209 other Republican state legislators across the country who have supported marriage-equality bills or blocked attempts to repeal same-sex marriage laws.

The caucus members also addressed concerns over religious protections provided in S38, a sticking point – though far less expansive than those in S708 – that some conservative Rhode Island Senate Democrats say don't go far enough.

"We support Senate Bill 38 because it rightfully extends the civil aspects of marriage to all Rhode Islanders while protecting the freedom of religion our state was founded upon," the caucus members said in their joint statement. "Gay and lesbian couples deserve to be treated equally under the law, and at the same time churches, synagogues and mosques in our state must be free to exercise their faith and sacraments as they see fit. This bill strikes the right balance and should be passed by the Senate."

Rhode Islanders United for Marriage, the lead group pushing for marriage equality in the state, issued a statement praising the Senate Republicans' announcement.

"We are proud and humbled to have earned the support of the entire Senate Republican caucus for Senator Nesselbush's legislation," Ray Sullivan, campaign director for Rhode Islanders United for Marriage, said in the statement. "We applaud their courage and their conviction in standing up for all loving, committed couples and their freedom to marry.

"That this is the first legislative caucus of either party to unanimously support marriage equality is a testament to the bravery and strength of character of these five senators. We thank them for their support, and look forward to their voting in favor of S38."

The endorsement by the full Republican caucus means that S38 stands a good chance of passing, if it makes it through the Judiciary Committee later today. 

That committee is chaired by Sen. Michael McCaffrey (D-Warwick), a very vocal opponent of marriage equality. Senate President M. Teresa Paiva-Weed (D-Newport), also an opponent of marriage equality, has said she  doesn't foresee using her position as an ex-officio member of the committee to break a tie should the 10-member committee deadlock when voting on the marriage bill.

Four of the committee's members are cosponsors of the marriage bill, including Nesselbush and Hodgson, who is the panel's sole Republican. A fifth member, Sen. Paul Jabour (D-Providence), says he personally opposes same-sex marriage but has repeatedly promised his more liberal constituency that he would vote in favor of the bill if his constituents contact him and ask him to do so.

Three other Judiciary Committee members, including McCaffrey, oppose marriage equality. That means the bill's fate will likely be decided by freshman Sen. William Conley (D-East Providence), who is thought to be one of two remaining swing votes in the Senate, and Sen. Leonidas "Lou" Raptakis, an opponent of same-sex marriage who previously said he hadn't made a "firm decision" whether to vote to move the measure to the Senate floor for a debate by the full chamber, and who recently withdrew his support from S708, saying he felt its wide swath of religious exemptions went "overboard." 

Political observers will be watching the committee hearing for any indications as to whether Paiva-Weed, or by proxy, McCaffrey, are trying to use their clout or influence as members of Senate leadership to keep potential "aye" votes in line. The Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing is scheduled for Tuesday at 3 p.m., with votes expected on all three measures – H5015, S38 and S708 – pertaining to marriage equality. 

Should S38 pass the committee, it stands a good chance in the Senate. Five Senate Republicans, plus 10 Democratic cosponsors, would give the bill 15 of the 20 votes it needs for passage. In addition, if six other Democratic senators who have previously pledged their support keep their promises to vote for the measure, there will be at least 21 legislators in the 38-member chamber voting in favor of marriage equality.

[Photo 1: Republican Senate Minority Leader Dennis Algiere (courtesy of the R.I. General Assembly).

Photo 2: Senate President M. Teresa Paiva-Weed (courtesy of the R.I. General Assembly).]