RI House speaker: Gay marriage bill won’t pass

Rhode Island’s House speaker says legislation extending marriage rights to gay couples is dead for the year.
 
House Speaker Gordon Fox, who is gay and is a leading supporter of the gay marriage bill, says that it’s clear the bill won’t overcome opposition in the Senate.
 
Fox, a Providence Democrat, says he’ll instead sponsor civil union legislation giving same-sex couples the same state rights given to married couples.
 
The announcement deals a major setback to advocates of gay marriage in the Ocean State. They had called civil unions a poor
substitute for full marriage.
 
Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed’s opposition was seen as a key obstacle to the bill’s passage. In a statement to reporters, she says she supports civil union legislation and is confident it will pass.