A new poll shows a large majority of
voters in Rhode Island favor gay marriage.
The poll conducted by Brown University
and released Wednesday shows a majority (60%) of registered voters in
the state support the legalization of gay marriage. A large majority
(75%) of voters support civil unions for gay and lesbian couples.
Only thirty-one percent of respondents
oppose a gay marriage law.
Nationwide, forty-two percent of
respondents support gay marriage, but a large majority (67%) say they
favor legal recognition of gay and lesbian unions either by marriage,
civil unions or domestic partnerships, according to a CBS News
poll.
A gay marriage bill currently being
debated in the Rhode Island Legislature faces a grim future. Despite
large Democratic majorities in both houses, lawmakers and Governor
Donald Carcieri, a Republican, in this predominantly Catholic state
continue to reject gay marriage.
In fact, a gay marriage bill has been
debated in the Legislature for the past 12 years without a single
legislative vote cast on the issue.
The poll, which carries a 4% margin of
error, was conducted between May 18-20, and included 593 respondents.