Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee (I) has signed an executive order declaring that his state will provide legal recognition to same-sex couples married elsewhere.
Civil unions are permitted in Rhode Island, but gay marriage is not. The governor’s order ensures that same-sex couples married outside the state will be afforded the same rights and recognition as heterosexual marriages.
Chafee, who served Rhode Island in the Senate as a Republican until he was defeated in 2006, said that he will continue to make an appeal for full marriage equality in the state.
