Gov. Lincoln Chafee (I-RI)


This morning in the New York Times, Lincoln Chafee, the governor of Rhode Island penned an op-ed in which he pledged to sign legislation that would allow committed, loving same-sex couples the freedom to marry. The bill is currently in the Rhode Island state legislature and is expected to pass.
ON Thursday, the Rhode Island House of Representatives is expected to approve legislation to extend the right to marry to all Rhode Islanders, regardless of sexual orientation. I plan to sign the Marriage Equality Act into law immediately after the vote, on the steps of the Rhode Island State House, overlooking downtown Providence. This is the same spot where, in my 2011 inaugural address, I called for Rhode Island to embrace marriage equality.
Chafee, formerly a Republican U.S. Senator but now an independent, was one of only six Republican Senators to vote against a proposed constitutional amendment banning marriage for same-sex couples. Conservatives and moderates like Chafee are becoming more and more vocal in their support for recognizing the loving, committed relationships in which same-sex couples are already doing the hard work of marriage. Just a few months back, dozens of prominent Republicans signed a statement in support of the freedom to marry in advance of the U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments on the Prop. 8 case and the ACLU's case to strike down the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act."
It is encouraging to see more and more conservatives publicly acknowledge that there is a strong conservative case for including same-sex couples in marriage. Chafee explains in his op-ed:
Much of the argument for and against gay marriage has revolved around the morality of the issue. Each side feels intensely that its position is more righteous than the other side’s. I personally feel that Rhode Island is a better state, and America is a better country, when we are as inclusive as possible.
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The point is not simply that we are welcoming to gay people, though we are. It is that we want to welcome everyone. The talented workers who are driving the new economy — young, educated and forward-looking — want to live in a place that reflects their values. They want diversity, not simply out of a sense of justice, but because diversity makes life more fun. Why would any state turn away the people who are most likely to create the economies of the 21st century?
I have been heartened in recent months to see members of my old party coming around on marriage equality, including the entire Republican caucus in the Rhode Island Senate — the first time a caucus of either party has been unanimous in its support. That reflects sound political judgment, and some values that are at least as Republican as they are Democratic, including a belief in marriage as an institution and a desire to keep government out of our personal lives.
The push for equality will continue to grow stronger in statehouses, courthouses and polling places in every state in America. This is, by and large, a generational issue, not a geographic one. Even in the reddest states, the rising generations are far more tolerant than their parents and grandparents. As this shift continues, marriage equality will inevitably become law in more and more states. The states that cling to their old prohibitions will then be viewed as the outliers. Like Rhode Island in recent years, they will be seen as islands of old thinking.
Well said Gov. Chafee. Thank you for being a leader among your conservative colleagues on this important issue. And congratulations to the people of Rhode Island for embracing the freedom to marry for all couples. We here in New Mexico hope to follow your example and bring marriage for same-sex couples to our state soon as well.