Last night, in an overflowing State House, the ACLU of Rhode Island delivered testimony in support of 13-H 5015, the same-sex marriage bill. This testimony asserted yet again that Rhode Island's civil union law never even purported to mirror the protections that are available to married couples. Civil unions create a separate and second class status, and an amendment that was attached to the 2011 legislation undermined rights same-sex couples already had under Rhode Island law and discriminated against same-sex couples in very real ways. History has taught us that "separate but equal" simply does not work. The ACLU of Rhode Island continues to urge the legislature to pass full marriage equality for all Rhode Islanders.
ACLU Delivers Testimony in Support of Same Sex Marriage Bill
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