59% support same-sex marriage in Rhode Island

Fifty-nine percent of Rhode Islanders support legalization of same-sex
marriage.

Rhode Island is the only New England state without same-sex marriage,
apart from Maine, where, in 2009, the Legislature passed and the governor
signed a law legalizing gay marriage, then saw voters “veto” it at the
ballot box.

The survey of 502 likely Rhode Island voters was conducted by Greenberg
Quinlan Rosner Research on July 7-12. The margin of error was 4.4 percent.

“This poll makes clear that there is no reason why we can’t enact a
marriage equality law in Rhode Island within the next year,” said Kathy
Kushnir, executive director of Marriage Equality Rhode Island. “Rhode
Islanders are ready to allow loving, committed same-sex couples to gain
the dignity and respect that marriage brings.”

Nationally, a new poll by CNN and Opinion Research Corporation found that
52 percent of Americans support same-sex marriage. They said yes to the
question, “Do you think gays and lesbians should have a constitutional
right to get married and have their marriage recognized by law as valid?”

By Rex Wockner