2 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE July 15, 2011
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www.GayPeoplesChronicle.com
Governor signs Rhode Island civil unions into law
by Anthony Glassman
Providence, R.I.-Gov. Lincoln Chaffee on July 2 signed his state's civil union bill into law, acknowledging that it was only a step toward full marriage equality.
LGBT advocates had urged Chaffee to veto the bill, both because it was for civil union and not full same-sex marriage, and also because it contains one of the broadest religious exemptions seen in such legislation.
A full marriage bill was proposed this year in the state House, but openly gay,
Fox supported a civil union bill that was introduced instead, and it passed June 29.
Chaffee, in a letter to the House of Representatives that accompanied his signature on the bill, noted, "Although this measure is a step forward, it fails to fully achieve those goals in its present form. First, it fails to extend full marriage equality to all Rhode Islanders, a civil right that I strongly support and urged the general assembly to enact."
"I believe that it is unfair to treat the relationships of same-sex couples differ-
Speaker Gordon D. Fox withdrew it in Aprilntly than the relationships of heterosexual after he said there were not enough votes for it to pass. Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed opposes marriage. Both chambers are controlled by Democrats.
couples under the law and that such differential treatment serves no rational governmental purpose," he continued, before addressing the religious carve-outs.
"Second, I believe that one of the bill's
religious exemptions is too broad. Many states provide reasonable exemptions for religious organizations in connection with the celebration of marriage and civil unions for same-sex couples... However, under [another section of the bill], no religious organization or its employees may be required to treat as valid any civil union.' This section provides a religious exemption of unparalleled and alarming scope. Religious organizations operate hospitals, cemeteries, schools and community centers. As drafted, the bill gives these institutions and their employees the choice of refusing to recognize civil unions."
"This extraordinary exemption eviscerates the important rights that enacting a civil union law was meant to guarantee for
New York weddings begin next weekend
by Anthony Glassman
New York City-Couples in a number of cities across the state of New York will find clerks' offices open on Sunday, July 24, as municipal governments try to issue marriage licenses on the day the state's samesex marriage law takes effect.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the bill into law on June 24 to go into effect 30 days later, so it will be in force on Sunday, July 24. City clerk offices are not usually open on Sundays, but many municipalities, including Binghamton, Syracuse and New York City, are eager to allow people to avail themselves of the law as soon as legally possible.
In New York City, for instance, some state judges have volunteered to be present to both waive the 24-hour waiting period between getting a license and being mar-
ried, as well as to perform the weddings riage under current law and its 2004 ban themselves.
Officials in Ithaca, Woodstock and some other towns have said that they will decide whether to open on Sunday based on public demand.
However, Islip and Brookhaven, the two Long Island municipalities that encompass most of the Fire Island gay vacation spot, will not open on Sunday. They will, however, have extra staff on hand on Monday to handle marriage license applications.
Couples do not need to be New York residents to marry there. Clerk's offices in Mayville, Jamestown, Buffalo, Niagara Falls and other towns nearest to Ohio will be open on Monday, July 25. Ohio, however, will not presently recognize a same-sex mar-
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amendment.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg will officiate at the marriage of his chief policy advisor, John Feinblatt, and his commissioner for consumer affairs, Jonathan Mintz. The couple, who have been together 14 years, will be married on July 24. They have two daughters.
However, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani seems to be avoiding his pledge to marry the gay couple who sheltered him during his messy 2001 divorce.
Howard Koeppel and Mark Hsiao let Giuliani use their Midtown apartment when he was trying to avoid Gracie Mansion, the mayor's residence. Koeppel says that Giuliani told the men that were New York to ever legalize same-sex marriage, they would be "one of the first ones I would marry," he
same-sex couples in the first place," he concludes.
The law took effect on Tuesday, July 5, the first business day after Chaffee signed the bill.
Aaron Coutu and Ray Daignault III, of Burrillville, are believed to be the first couple to get a civil union license on July 5. The 13-year couple were joined on July 9, a week after the governor signed the bill into law.
Rhode Island joins eight other states with civil union or domestic partner laws that grant all the state rights and responsibilities of marriage. Three additional states have limited domestic partnerships, and six more plus D.C. have full marriage. ✓
told the New York Post. Now, however, Giuliani won't return his phone calls.
"It seems like a lot of people he was close to become persona non grata,” he noted.
Giuliani would be able to perform the wedding, since mayors of the city retain the power to perform weddings even after they leave office.
New York will become the sixth state with full same-sex marriage, plus the District of Columbia. The others are Iowa, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and New Hampshire. A seventh state, California, had full marriage for five months in 2008, before voters passed a ban amendment.
Also in North America, Canada has had full marriage since 2005, and same-sex marriages done in Mexico City are recognized throughout that country.
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