Gov. Don Carcieri vetoed legislation Tuesday that would have given same-sex couples in Rhode Island the right to plan funerals for deceased partners.The mind boggles, doesn't it? Because obviously, letting a grief-stricken partner take care of their loved one's arrangements is a chink in the door of HUMAN DECENCY and we can't have that, now, can we?
The socially conservative Republican said the proposed protection represents a “disturbing trend” of the incremental erosion of heterosexual marriage, reports the Associated Press. Rhode Island does not recognize same-sex marriage.
From the Boston Edge:
[RI] State Rep. David Segal (D-Providence) said the bill "would have let domestic partners claim the bodies of their deceased partners, and arrange funerals for them."
Segal noted the funeral planning bill was supported by the overwhelming majority of members of the Assembly who oppose marriage for gays and lesbians It passed by a vote of 63-1. And Segal expressed outrage over Carcieri’s veto.
"This bitter, cruel, pathetic man is grossly unworthy of the esteem the people of Rhode Island have bestowed upon him," Segal wrote in a blog post on Rhode Island’s Future.
Carcieri has a contentious history with Rhode Island’s LGBT activists. The Governor was widely condemned for his appearance at a Massachusetts Family Institute fundraiser last month. The governor told the 300 attendees he believed marriage was "not a civil right.".....
A statement on MFI’s Web site describes homosexuality as "an unhealthy practice and destructive to individuals, families and society." The organization also maintains gays and lesbians can be cured through prayer.
Update this veto was overridden in January 2010.
3 comments:
"Democrats hold a veto-proof majority in the Legislature and frequently override Carcieri’s objections." --Nashua Telegraph
The likelihood of a veto does not change the casual inhumanity of it.
Most of those against GLBT rights (including marriage) pretend publicly that they aren't opposed to minimal humane rights. (Of course the whole referendum 71 thing in Washington puts the lie to that.) But really, most of them say we should at least be able to visit in the hospital.
What's important about Governor Carcieri is that the gloves are off: t he vicious cruelty and bigotry underneath is exposed. It's always good when you can pull the mask off the other side and expose them for who they are.
THAT"S why this is important to publicize. THIS is the face of hte opposition, the real face: this casual viciousness. This man is a NOMmer, has prominent associations with the Roman Catholic Church, and must know he's likely to be vetoed. The only point of this is to kick the GLBT community for gratuitous purposes, with the casual cruelty of a bully attacking a kitten.
I was going to point out that this veto could certainly be overriden, but it looks like another commenter beat me to it. Your criticism is certainly warranted for Carcieri, though.
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