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We were marching because love is the spirit of our church - and human dignity is inherent in everything person. It's time for the Speaker of the House, the Senate President, and the Governor to pass Marriage Equality.Īt the Pride Parade this past weekend, I marched with my church, Bell Street Chapel. The laws of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations should not make the lives of my adult friends more difficult because of who they love. I have many friends who have come out as gay, sometimes with difficulty. Mohr cites De Tocqueville, writing, "The inevitable evil that one bears patiently seems unbearable as soon as one conceives the idea of removing it." Let me put it another way - the last forty years of civil rights advocacy and culture change mean that the remaining legal barriers for equality and dignity for gay couples in this state seem out of whack. In the decades since, from Options Magazine to Youth Pride, from SEAQUEL (Southeast Asian Queers United for Empowerment and Leadership) to Protestant Christian and Jewish advocacy for Gay Rights, from Marriage Equality to the Gay Men's Chorus, things have changed, and with more effort and growth, will continue to change, toward acceptance and justice. Amidst the chaos of factory closings, naval base departures, and Buddy Cianci being a potential Vice Presidential candidate, RI Pride was held. In June 1976, Rhode Island's unemployment rate was 7.7% (down from 9.1% that January), the questionable Philip Noel was Governor, the mob was king, the highways had just recently demolished old neighborhoods, and the riots at Providence High and Middle Schools were a fresh memory. RI Pride began in a very different state. Internationally, those US States are joined by places as diverse as South Africa, Portugal, Spain, and Canada in recognizing same-sex marriage and the diversity of consenting adult relationships.
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Since 2004, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Iowa, New York, and, briefly, California, have legalized same-sex marriage. The Lawrence v Texas ruling was shortly followed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts legalizing same-sex marriage in 2004. Liberty presumes an autonomy of self that includes freedom of thought, belief, expression, and certain intimate conduct."
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And there are other spheres of our lives and existence, outside the home, where the State should not be a dominant presence.
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Justice Kennedy's Majority Opinion in Lawrence v Texas reads, in part, "In our tradition the State is not omnipresent in the home. As a result of the case, the Supreme Court struck down anti-sodomy laws across the country.
#PROVIDENCE GAY PRIDE PARADE 2021 FULL#
In his book, The Long Arc of Justice: Lesbian and Gay Marriage, Equality, and Rights, Richard Mohr cites the 2003 Supreme Court ruling, Lawrence v Texas, as a key turning point for full legal acceptance of LGBT people in the US. The victories won in Rhode Island were part of a larger story. The New York Times reported that the Civil Rights protections passed in 1995 were the culmination of over 11 years of lobbying. The 1995 Civil Rights legislation brought little Rhody national press. RI Pride, in addition to promoting cultural change and awareness, cited its work in local legal fights for equality, working for the 1995 RI Civil Rights Legislation for Gay men, Lesbian and Bisexuals, and the 2001 inclusion to protect the rights of transgender individuals. About 75 individuals marched through downtown Providence to celebrate their diversity and to highlight the contributions they had made to the wider community." From those 75 original marchers, now RI Pride parades reportedly number over 25,000 attendees! According to RI Pride, "State and City leaders attempted to block the parade, but those early organizers pursued litigation which eventually led to a court ruling allowing this “pride” event to take place. Rhode Island had its first gay pride parade in 1976, the year of our nation's bicentennial, our celebration of the casting away the ruling families of monarchy and beginning a new type of elected government. Walking down the brick-lined streets, we came upon a parade of young and old, drag queens and Episcopalians, South East Asian youth activists and Unitarians, rainbow flags, waving politicians, and Club Dancers. We parked our car, and decided to see what the commotion was. We headed downtown, toward the spotlights, near the PPAC.