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(Providence, Rhode Island) Ed Bonetti of
Warwick describes himself as a traditional Italian Catholic who wants what any
dad would want for his 20-year-old son: to see him get married and have
children.
But because his son is gay, he's not sure that
will ever happen.
"My son has so many wonderful qualities. But
we can't even look to those points right now because he does not have the same
rights and he's not being treated fairly," said Bonetti, 46, who planned to
testify Wednesday before the state's House Judiciary Committee.
Lawmakers are considering a bill that would
legalize gay marriage in Rhode Island. The hearing comes a week after the
highest court in Massachusetts, which in 2003 became the only state to legalize
gay marriage, ruled gay couples from states where gay marriage is banned cannot
marry there.
But the Massachusetts court also said it was
unclear whether Rhode Island prohibits gay marriage and sent the cases involving
gay couples from here back to a lower court.
A gay marriage bill has been introduced in the
General Assembly nearly every year for a decade. Current state law does not
explicitly ban or permit gay marriage.
Both the House and Senate are considering bills
to legalize gay marriage. The Senate also has a bill that defines marriage as
between a man and woman. The bills have had hearings in previous years but never
come to a committee vote.
Rep. Arthur Handy, D-Cranston, who is the lead
sponsor on the bill to legalize gay marriage, has said he will ask for a vote
this year, and advocates say they will push for one as well.
"That's what we need right now to move
forward," said Jenn Steinfeld, co-chair of Marriage Equality Rhode Island.
But the chairmen of the House and Senate
Judiciary Committees said they would not promise a vote.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Michael McCaffrey,
D-Warwick, said he opposes gay marriage. He plans a hearing on the Senate's
bills after the General Assembly recess later this month.
The bill to legalize gay marriage has been
gaining momentum in House, where its sponsors include Judiciary Chairman Donald
Lally, D-Narragansett. He said he's reluctant to put the bill to committee and
floor votes this year and then have it defeated in the Senate or vetoed by Gov.
Donald Carcieri.
But he said he thinks the bill eventually will
pass.
"What I've found in the House is each year
people are becoming more tolerant," Lally said. "If you'd talked to me
five years ago, civil unions wouldn't have been discussed, and now I've had
Republicans come to me and say they wish that was available."
©365Gay.com 2006
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