As of January 2013, Rhode Island and Illinois are in the process of passing a law that will allow same-sex marriage. Illinois is being backed up by two republicans; Pat Brady and Kenneth Mehlman. Rhode Island is being backed up as well, by Governor Lincoln Chafee and Ray Sullivan.

1. Will Rhode Island or Illinois
be the 10 th State to Allow
Marriage Equality?

2. Same-Sex Marriage Background
9 states have legalized same-sex marriage.
• Washington
• New York
• Massachusetts
• Connecticut
• Iowa
• Vermont,
• New Hampshire
• Maine
• Maryland

3. Same-Sex Marriage Background
Some states have granted legal unions for same-sex couples which
offer different subsets of marriage rights. These states are:
• California
• Colorado
• Delaware
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• Wisconsin
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Nevada

4. Illinois or Rhode Island?
• As of January 2013, Illinois and Rhode Island are in
the process of trying to pass a marriage equality bill.
Both currently allow civil unions.
• Maryland brought a same-sex marriage vote to the
ballots on November 6, 2012. It is now the 9th state
to allow same-sex marriage, was the first to pass in
2013, on January 1st.

5. Rhode Island
• On January 24th, the House voted on the gay marriage
bill. It is expected to pass easily in the House, but it
may have a harder time in the Senate.
• Governor Lincoln Chafee, commented on the
committee vote as ‘‘another significant step forward
toward marriage equality.’’
• “We began planning for that by reaching out to pro-
equality candidates and working with pro-equality
incumbents,” said Ray Sullivan, who is the campaign
director for Rhode Islanders United for Marriage.
• Rhode Island is getting lots of positive support,
however it is still unknown if the law will pass.

6. Illinois
• The Senate Executive Committee passed the legislation in
January, and now is being sent to the Senate. Illinois has
had a lot of press regarding the same-sex marriage bill. A
lot of this is due to two republicans, Pat Brady and Ken
Mehlman backing up the Illinois bill.
• “More and more Americans understand that if two people
want to make a lifelong commitment to each other,
government should not stand in their way,” Pat Brady
stated.
• Ken Mehlman joined Brady at the Illinois General Assembly
to pass the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act
and spoke out in support of marriage equality.