Tag Archives: Rhode Island

Miss Rhode Island Wins The Miss USA Pagent After Voicing Support for Transgender Contestants

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Olivia Culpo, the musically talented 20-year-old  who represented Rhode Island, won the Miss USA  crown last night just moments after answering a Twitter question read by judge Rob Kardashian, which said, “Would you feel it would be fair that a transgender  woman wins the Miss USA title over a natural-born woman?”

Replied Olivia:

I do think that that would be fair but I can understand that people would be a  little apprehensive to take that road because there is a tradition of  natural-born women, but today where there are so many surgeries and so many  people out there who have a need to change for a happier life, I do accept that  because I believe it’s a free country.”

Good for her!  I am proud to have a women not only beautiful on the outside but beautiful on the inside as well representing  our country.

Take that Carrie Prejean!

Rhode Island First Lady to Perform Civil Union

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Rhode Island’s First Lady, Stephanie Chafee, has announced that she is planning on performing the civil union of friends. Boston.com reports:

Lynn McKinney and Ron Margolin first asked Gov. Lincoln Chafee to officiate at their Nov. 5 ceremony in Newport, but he plans to be in Israel for an economic development trip.

McKinney and Margolin have been partners for 32 years. They are political supporters of Chafee.

Governor and Stephanie Chafee have long been an advocates of LGBT equality, and Mrs. Chafee was one of the first AIDS research nurse in Rhode Island.

NOM Says It Will Continue To Purposely Defy Campaign Disclosure Laws in Minnesota – Wheres The Justice?

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The Minnesota Independent reports:

Last week, the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board announced it was considering updating its rules to close loopholes in the ballot initiative’s reporting requirements. The board released guidance to outside groups that want to donate to ballot campaigns such as Minnesota for Marriage which supports the amendment or Minnesotans United for All Families which opposes the amendment, and spelled out how those donations would be disclosed.

The guidance would heighten public disclosure around campaign spending and will be debated before the board this week. On Tuesday, Minnesota for Marriage (working alongside with the National Organization for Marriage) cried foul and said it would only do what it had planned to in the past, calling the new guidance “illegal.”

The National Organization for Marriage has already broken the law in Maine and Rhode Island where the courts have ruled against it but continues to hide the names of its donors.

Where are the legal ramifications and punishments that NOM should be facing for for blatantly ignoring the law?

Would ANY group get away with this behavior? Is justice BLIND, DEAF and DUMB?  Or just afraid of a quasi-religious organization with low friends in high places?

MAINE. RHODE ISLAND, AND MINNESOTA.  STAND BY YOUR LAWS AND COURT RULINGS AND PROSCECUTE AND PUNISH THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MARRIAGE WITH BREAKING THE LAW!

1400+ Gay Couples Marry In New York As Only 9 Couples Sign Up For Civil Unions In Rhode Island

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Almost after one month of the beginning of legal gay marriage in new York and the passage and beginning of legal Civil Unions in Rhode Island the data proves overwhelmingly that the Lesbian and Gay Community will not stand for separate and unequal treatment as over 14oo gay couples have wed in New York and only a handful have signed up for civil unions in the state of Rhode Island.

The city doesn’t know for certain how many of the 5,587 total marriage licenses issued through Aug. 12 were for same-sex couples, as officials removed the gender requirement from the application.

However, since applications have hovered around 4,200 licenses for the same period the prior three years, it’s reasonable to presume that this year’s 33 percent spike is almost entirely due to gay marriage, City Clerk Michael McSweeney said.

But in Rhode Island the picture is bleak.  More than a month after it became legal, only a few Rhode Island same-sex couples are taking advantage of the state’s new civil unions law.  Only nine couples were joined in civil unions in July, which was the first month licenses were available.

Even for Rhode Island, the smallest state  with a population of 1 million people, the total is miniscule, and marriage equality advocates said it proves their point that civil unions are a “poor substitute.” for gay marriage and that the lesbian and gay community wants nothing to do with it.

Advocates have vowed to push for the marriage equality legislation again in next year.  Last year’s marriage equality push failed miserably due to lack of support of   lawmakers including Gordon Fox, the gay speaker of the Rhode Island House and lack of backbone of Marriage Equality Rhode Island which  took up civil unions as a compromise solution believing that something is better than nothing.

 

RI House Approves Seperate But Not Equal Civil Unions For Gays and Lesbians

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After much controversy which included rumors of Marriage Equality Rhode Island—of actually undermining the cause and striking a backroom deal for Civil Unions,  The Rhode Island House has overwhelmingly approved civil unions for gays and lesbians by a vote of 62-11. 

Gay marriage supporters said civil unions treat gay couples as second-class citizens. Many lawmakers said they agreed, but said they couldn’t vote against giving gay couples many more rights than they currently receive.  Rep. Frank Ferri, D-Warwick, is openly gay and said the House endorsement of civil unions was bittersweet.  “Today I’m being asked to choose between equality and rights,” he said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that families like mine need these rights.”

Gay marriage advocates tried unsuccessfully to resurrect the gay marriage legislation during House debate. But their procedural move failed after House Speaker Gordon Fox, who is openly gay, (and a traitor)  ruled it out of order. A vote to overrule Fox failed 23-47

The bill will now go to the state Senate, where it is expected to pass and Gov. Lincoln Chafee has promised to sign it.

This is a strange and dangerous end to this saga.  Rhode Island was to supposed to be a “slam dunk” for gay marriage passage as was Delaware another state that went with civil unions instead of gay marriage.

One really has to wonder about these gay politicians and advocates who “settle”.  If they were African American and this was about black civil rights would they be content sitting in the middle of the bus?

We’re falling into a very dangerous pattern here.  One that can really impede our advancement  for full equality.

If you settle for less that’s what you get.  Less.  You also send a very dangerous message to your opponents that you are fine with that so they will drag their feet and never give you more.

Edge News Accuses Marriage Equality Rhode Island Of Selling Out For Civil Unions Deal

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National gay media outlet The EDGE  has published an article accusing —Marriage Equality Rhode Island—of actually undermining the cause and striking a deal for Civil Unions.

According to the Edge it has numerous sources that state that even though Marriage Equality Rhode Island has  publicly advocated for gay marriage, behind the scenes some Marriage Equality Rhode Island officials struck a deal with current and former Dem legislators to the legislation in favor of a civil unions compromise

Larry Berman, a spokesman for openly gay House Speaker Gordon Fox who “suddenly” decided to back civil unions and not gay marriage said:  “The allegations discussed in this story by unnamed sources are totally inaccurate. There were never any deals made with anyone. To the contrary, MERI strongly opposed the decision made by Speaker Fox to support a civil unions’ bill.”

Joe Siegel, who wrote his story for Edge stands by it 100 percent. He  ultimately received confirmation of his story from five separate sources—all with ties to MERI.

You can read the whole shameful story HERE

Rhode Island Lawmakers Give The Big SCREW YOU To Republican Governor Donald Carcieri

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On the first day back in session the Rhode Island Legislature wasted no time putting Republican Governor Donald Carcieri in his place and sending a BIG FUCK YOU message to the lame duck anti-gay Governor by overriiding Carcieri’s veto of last November to give gay couples the same rights to plan the funerals of their late partners.

Carcieri argued that it was part of a “disturbing trend” to erode traditional marriage. Rhode Island and Maine are the only two New England states which do not allow gay marriage.

The original legislation was demanded by Mark Goldberg, 49, who struggled for five weeks for the right to claim the body of his partner of 17 years, Ron Hanby. The couple had wills and other legal documents as proof of their relationship. Goldberg said he had received “no compassion whatsoever from anyone in the state”.

The votes to overide Carcieri veto was almost unanimous in both the House and the Senate.  The House vote was 67 to 3 and the Senate vote was 29 to 3.

And as a parting shot to the despicable Carcieri both the Rhode Island House and Senate stripped the governor of his power to fill U.S. Senate vacancies.

Looks like Carcieri is more of a lame fuck, than a lame duck at the moment.