Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee
and Congressman David Cicilline are among the elected officials
cheering passage of a gay marriage bill in the Rhode Island House.
The bill, which seeks to make Rhode
Island the 10th state to legalize marriage equality,
received an overwhelming approval in the House on Thursday.
(Related: Rhode
Island House overwhelmingly passes gay marriage bill.)
Chafee called the vote historic, but
added that “there is still a long way to go.”
“Now that the House has swiftly
acted, I urge Senate leadership to 'call the roll' – for our
economy, for our gay and lesbian friends and neighbors, and for
history,” Chafee is quoted as saying by the Providence
Journal.
Cicilline, an open gay Democrat now in
his second term representing Rhode Island in Congress, also called on
the state Senate to act.
“I urge the members of the Senate to
pass this bill and quickly send it to Governor Chafee's desk so that
Rhode Island can join the rest of New England in guaranteeing that
every citizen of our state has access to full marriage equality.”
The outlook in the Senate, however,
remains uncertain as top Democratic leaders in the chamber remain
opposed.