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Rhode Island Needs to Decide: Should LGBTs Insist on Marriage, or Compromise on Civil Unions?

Teresa Paiva-Weed bares her teeth in a display of aggression.

When Representative Gordon Fox pulled the plug on his own marriage equality bill last month, he told everyone not to worry: they may not be able to get marriage in Rhode Island this year, but civil unions ought to be a shoo-in.

Except, whoops, maybe they’re not. At yesterday’s public hearing on the bill, neither the gays nor the anti-gays had anything nice to say about civil unions. Well, at least for once we can agree on something.

Our side is pissed because civil unions aren’t good enough. The opposition is pissed because civil unions make life easier for LGBTs, and we can’t have that!

So now, due to Democrats like Teresa Paiva-Weed who stood in the way of marriage, we might wind up getting nothing at all. Way to go everyone! High-fives all around!

This all comes down to an important question the LGBTs need to answer: is it worth it to go for an all-or-nothing approach? Should we insist on marriage or nothing at all? Or is it OK to compromise on civil unions for now while we fight for marriage down the road?

But don’t give up hope yet: this legislative session might be salvaged yet, if lawmakers turn the civil union bill into a marriage bill when it hits the House. It could happen! And if it doesn’t, LGBT activists are gearing up to vote out anti-gay bums like Paiva-Weed.

Via Sacto-Bee

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