Today the Rhode Island House passed and Governor Lincoln Chafee is expected to sign legislation allowing same-sex couples to marry, making it the tenth state in the country with full marriage equality.  The state House passed a similar version of the bill earlier this year but held another vote following minor changes to the Senate version.  Last week PFAW President Michael Keegan released a statement celebrating passage of the bill in the state Senate.

In The New York Times yesterday, Governor Lincoln Chafee called the nationwide push for marriage equality a “historic realignment”:

“A historic realignment is happening all around us, as Americans from all walks of life realize that this is the right thing to do. It is occurring both inside and outside of politics, through conversations at the office and over kitchen tables, and at different speeds in different parts of the country.”

Across dinner tables, in the pews, and in the halls of state legislatures, the momentum is indeed undeniable.  Today’s victory will not only give equal marriage rights to committed, loving couples in Rhode Island, it will also strengthen the nationwide momentum towards marriage equality.