Supporters of same-sex marriage vow to continue fight
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Same-Sex Marriage Fight
Same-sex marriage supporters in Rhode Island are undeterred by voters in Maine.Voters in Maine on Tuesday repealed a new law allowing same-sex marriages.
But same-sex marriage supporters in Rhode Island are not giving up the fight.
Christopher Plante, of the Rhode Island Chapter of the National Organization for Marriage, said he is thrilled about the vote in Maine, where opponents of the law mustered 53 percent of the vote.
Plante said his organization feels marriage is between a man and a woman. He also opposes civil unions.
“In every case that we’ve seen civil unions, they’ve been a stepping stone to gay marriage. So, we have an issue there. Civil unions tend to be a Trojan horse,“ Plante said.
But Kathy Kushnir of Marriage Equality Rhode Island, who was in Maine on Tuesday stumping in support of the same-sex marriage law, said she feels many people are afraid for no good reason of gays and lesbians getting married.
“People are afraid of things that they don’t even know they’re afraid of. There’s nothing to fear. If we are talking about maybe 10 percent of our population, generally, is gay or lesbian. We’re talking about 10 percent of the people in this state, in Maine, across the nation, who want to be able to exercise their constitutional rights,“ Kushnir said.
Rhode Island House Speaker William Murphy and Senate President Teresa Paiva-Weed are against same-sex marriage and are blocking attempts to get it passed.
But all that might change in a big way.
Murphy has said he’s not running for re-election next year, and the man who might replace him, state Rep. Gordon Fox, is gay and in favor of same-sex marriage.
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Reader Reactions
Smitty: I do agree that compounding wrongs does not make them right. However, where is all the outrage over the way heterosexual couples have ruined the “traditional family” and the “traditional marriage”? They have ruined both long before gays started fighting for their right to equal marriage.
Wporter: So what if people of the same sex get married and cannot have children the “natural” way? Would that make it wrong for a man who knew he was sterile or a woman who knew she was infertile to get married? Allowing two consenting adults of the same sex is completely different than incest and bestiality.
Giving gays the right to marry isn’t forcing their lifestyle choices on anyone. If gay marriage were to become legal it would not destroy heterosexual marriages. It would not make them void, any less meaningful, or would mean that only people of the same sex could marry. In other words, gay marriage would not directly impact heterosexual marriage. It’s just that some people are too self-righteous and judgmental to allow other people to live their lives differently in peace. Some people are afraid of change, even if it is beneficial to others and does no harm to them or anyone else.
I seriously doubt that the rights of others should be denied by law based on a definition in the dictionary. Marriage wasn’t granted to only heterosexual couples by law based on what was the definition of “marriage” in the dictionary. Rather, the definition of “marriage” in the dictionary was based on the fact that marriage has been granted only for heterosexual couples, legally and by traditional standards. However, it doesn’t mean that the definition of “marriage” shouldn’t change to include the union between two people of the same sex. Over time several words have gotten new or multiple meanings. There have also been many new words added to the dictionary and some taken away. Nothing stays the same, not even the words in the dictionary.
Smitty It was not Wikipedia I do know the difference. Look up Merriam Webster which we all know is a well known dictionary. This is where I got it. You can look it up on line. Not that hard really. Things in this world do change.
And you believe everything you read online? How do you know that entry wasn’t from Wikipedia? It sure sounds it—and if you don’t know what I mean, look up wikipedia online! still LMAO!
ONE The Merriam-Webster dictionary on line. Now I could be wrong but I believe the Webster dictionary has been around for a pretty long time.
smitty.. that really was a good one! lmao 
trebron you better protect that little hamster especially if there are gays nearby. You never know what he may end up crawling into.
Smitty maybe while they were trying to change the law they also petitioned Webster’s to change the definition and just like the government Webster’s caved to the minority out of fear of being boycotted.
And Freak1 feels this way because he is a miserable little freak…
Pawtucket48 we could say the same thing to you. It will always be a vote and will always be shot down. If you don’t like it tough.
Apparently there aren’t enough of you to make a concerted effort to pass it. I personally will vote against it every time it comes up…not because I don’t believe in it or hate gays but because I want to help your lives miserable.
Smitty
Now THAT was f’en funny!
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