Rhode Island Voters Favor Gay Marriage
- By
- On Top Magazine Staff
- | May 29, 2009
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.