No. 11? Delaware poised to legalize gay marriage
Ali Vitali, @alivitali MSNBC
1:50 PM on 05/07/2013
The Delaware Senate is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a gay marriage bill that could make it the 11th state to allow same-sex marriages.
The bill passed the Delaware General Assembly in April by a vote of 23-18 and it is expected to pass the Democrat-controlled state Senate.
Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, a consistent supporter of gay marriage, has vowed to sign the bill. The governor previously said that allowing same-sex marriage in Delaware “is inevitable.”
The push for gay marriage in Delaware follows the passage of same-sex marriage in Rhode Island last week, as well as wins for marriage equality in Maine, Maryland, and Washington this past November.
These state-level battles are taking place amid the backdrop of a Supreme Court considering arguments on both the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s controversial Prop 8.
National polling also shows that a majority of the public supports the move to legalize gay marriage. Nate Silver reported in late March that, on average, polls show 51% approval for same-sex marriage, with 43% opposed.
Delaware legalized civil unions in 2011, and while Gov. Markell hadn’t expected to revisit the issue so soon, he told advocates he was “happy to stand” with them.
The 10 other states to allow gay marriage include Rhode Island, New York, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Iowa, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, and Washington. The District of Columbia has also legalized gay marriage
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