Subject: RI PASSES CIVIL RIGHTS BILL
From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 22 May 1995 08:18:20 -0400

R.I. ALLIANCE FOR LESBIAN & GAY CIVIL RIGHTS
05/20/95 PRESS RELEASE 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE....

CONTACT: Christine Nickerson, President, RI Alliance
  (401)861-0847

  James Stascavage, Vice-President RI Alliance
  (401)861-7978

RHODE ISLAND PASSES GAY CIVIL RIGHTS BILL
- The Senate Sends the Measure to the Governor for
his promised signature.

On May 19, the Rhode Island Senate passed a House-approved bill prohibiting
discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing, public
accomodations, and credit.  The crowd of supporters who packed the Senate
gallery watched the 2 1/2 hours of heated debate erupted with cheers as the
final vote tally lit up the board, 26 to 21.  The Senate approval sends the
bill to Governor Lincoln Almond's desk for his promised signature which is
expected early next week.  With the Governor's signature, Rhode Island will
be the ninth state to pass civil rights legislation for gay men and lesbians.

Opponents of the bill furiously offered five amendments, including a Boy
Scout Amendment which would have exempted the Boy Scouts of America from the
bill's employment provisions.  The Boy Scout Amendment failed 25 to 19.
 Opponents also attempted through amendments to put the issue to a
referendum, to extend the exemption for religious organizations to
individuals, and to raise the threshold number of employees for coverage
under the act to 25 from the present level of 4.  In a last ditch effort to
amend the bill, opponents attempted to remove the religious organization
exemption which had been included to win votes for passage.  If any amendment
had been successful, the bill would have been returned the House for approval
and many expressed the belief that such action would have resulted in the
bill's demise.

Senator Rhoda Perry (D-Providence), a long-time sponsor and supporter of the
bill and who had sponsored an identical Senate bill which was withdrawn to
submit the already-approved House version, sheparded the bill through the
debate.  In her opening remarks, Senator Perry explained the bill.  "The goal
of this bill is to give someone who has felt discriminated against due to his
or her sexual orientation the same rights that these other groups have, and
that is the right to file a complaint with the Rhode Island Commission for
Human Rights."

Senator William Fitzpatrick (D-Cranston), the only openly gay legislator,
rose to fight the amendments and to end debate over the recent decision by
the Sixth Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals regarding Cincinnati's ban on
protections for gay men and lesbians.  "The Court found that Cincinnati had
the right to deny protections for gay men and lesbians, but it does not
affect our right to protect those citizens." 

On March 29, 1995, the same bill passed the House of Representatives by a
vote of 57 to 41, the greatest margin ever seen in the 11 years that the bill
has been before the Rhode Island Legislature.

James Stascavage, Vice President of the Rhode Island Alliance for Lesbian &
Gay Civil Rights, the organization behind the bill for most of the past 11
years, called May 19th "an historic day, not just for lesbian, gay and
bisexual Rhode Islanders, but for all who live and work here.  The State of
Rhode Island has said that there should be justice for all Rhode Islanders
regardless of sexual orientation."

Christine Nickerson, President of the RI Alliance, said, "We're thrilled.  We
knew the vote would be close, particularly on the amendments."  Nickerson
believes "it is a victory not only for Rhode Islanders, but also for gay men
and lesbians everywhere.  Rhode Island has set an example for 41 more states
to follow, saying yes to fairness, equality and basic human rights."

Representative Francis Gaschen (D-Cumberland) who was the chief sponsor of
the House bill that passed in the Senate, explained, "Lesbians, gay men and
bisexual people finally are afforded the same rights that heterosexual Rhode
Islanders take for granted."  Representative Gaschen attributed the bill's
success to the Rhode Island Alliance and to the broad-based coalition of
supporters, including Parents, Friends, Families of Lesbians and Gays
(PFLAG), the Straight But Not Narrow Coalition, the Interfaith Coalition of
religious leaders around the State who support this legislation, and many
labor and civil rights organizations.

Stascavage agreed, "This year, we had many more hard working supporters.
 It's a powerful thing to have mothers, straight people, and clergy lobbying
legislators on a daily basis."

Nickerson has been repeatedly asked why 1995 was the "magical" year.  "In
some ways, 1995 was the year to pass this legislation.  We enjoyed the
support of the leadership in both houses and of Governor Almond.  It was
incredible to watch our friends in both chambers work so well as a team.  But
this was a long process for us and for the legislature.  It took the work of
countless people for so many years to get us to the place we arrived today."

--end--