Celebrate 40 Years of Loving - Take Action Today!

Today is the 40th anniversary of the historic Loving v. Virginia Supreme Court decision, which outlawed racial discrimination in marriage by outlawing antimiscegenation laws. What better way to celebrate the end of one form of marriage discrimination than by helping to end another?

We expect that the Rhode Island General Assembly will be wrapping up work for the year around June 22nd, leaving us with less than two weeks to secure passage of our platform of domestic partner protections. Don't let our legislature adjourn without protecting same-sex couples and their families! Click the link below to fax Senate President Montalbano and House Speaker Murphy a letter calling for their commitment to pass the MERI platform.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Help Get One Step Closer to Equality

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

Today is the 40th anniversary of the landmark Loving v. Virginia case, which outlawed racial discrimination in marriage. I hope you will mark this historic day by supporting the MERI platform and extending domestic partner protections to Rhode Island same-sex couples and their families.

By being denied the right to marry, families in our communities are denied hundreds of rights and protections. But you have the power to help change that TODAY. I urge you to commit to securing the passage of the MERI platform, which would provide a handful of domestic partner protections to Rhode Island families. This platform includes:

HB 5238 and SB 280, which would allow domestic partners to take unpaid medical leave to care for a sick partner, partner's child, or partner's parent without risking their job;

HB 5473 and SB 709, which would consider domestic partners to be next of kin for funeral planning purposes;

HB 5855 and SB 328, which would give domestic partners the same rights to private visitation in nursing homes as married spouses;

SB 619, which would allow state employees to leave their pension to a domestic partner;

HB 5868, which would allow domestic partners to sue for loss of consortium in cases of wrongful death;

and HB 5289 and SB 777, which would grant domestic partners the same testimonial privilege as spouses in court.

These bills will provide critical protections for Rhode Island families, but are only a handful of the hundreds of Rhode Island laws that same-sex couples and their families are denied. Please help even the playing field for all Rhode Island families. I would appreciate hearing back from you on this important matter.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
June 12, 2007

Background Information

Same-sex couples and their families are denied access to over 400 state laws because they are prevented from marrying. The majority of these protections help support and stabilize a family facing crises of health problems, death, or financial instability. All Rhode Island families deserve legal protections when in crisis.

The bills in the MERI platform are simple issues of fairness and dignity. Even those who oppose marriage equality understand that those who share their lives together deserve the protections offered in the MERI platform - the right to care for each other in sickness, to visit each other in nursing homes, to make final decisions for each other in death. The platform includes:

HB 5238 and SB 280, which would allow domestic partners to take unpaid medical leave to care for a sick partner, partner's child, or partner's parent;
HB 5473 and SB 709, which would consider domestic partners to be next of kin for funeral planning purposes;
HB 5855 and SB 328, which would give domestic partners the same rights to private visitation in nursing homes as married spouses;
SB 619, which would allow state employees to leave their pension to a domestic partner;
HB 5868,which would allow domestic partners to sue for loss of consortium in cases of wrongful death;
and HB 5289 and SB 777, which would grant domestic partners the same testimonial privilege as spouses in court.

These bills can pass TODAY! While we don't expect to see marriage equality get written into law this year, we know that these bills have no opposition, and could help protect Rhode Island families today. We need our legislators to make sure that happens!