R.I. House Passes Marriage Equality Bill 51-19!

Courtesy Rex Wockner

Rhode Island made another significant step towards joining its neighboring states in enacting marriage equality today by passing HB 1505 by a vote of 51-19.

The Providence Journal reports:

After House Speaker Gordon D. Fox announced the vote, members rose to their feet in a prolonged standing ovation. 

The vote followed a debate that lasted roughly an hour and a half, with supporters and opponents giving often impassioned, emotional speeches explaining their positions. 

Until Tuesday, the issue -- introduced annually for the last 11 years -- had never made it beyond committee hearings. 

This year, the outcome in the House was never really in doubt, with Speaker Fox signed on as the lead cosponsor and 42 of 75 members signed on as supporters. 

Now the bill goes to the Senate, where there is more opposition and leaders say it may sit for weeks or even months before a hearing is held.

This is just the first of many states that will likely make progress towards marriage equality in 2013. I'd really love to hear what the objections to marriage equality are in Rhode Island since most people simply reject the heterosexual supremacists common "arguments." How long can people say that "marriage is between a man and a woman" when there are nearly 10 states and hundreds of thousands of legally married same-sex couples in the United States?