Economics
Gay-Marriage Holdout Hobbles Rhode Island's Economy, Chafee Says
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When most politicians push same-sex marriage, they talk about equal rights. Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee has a different selling point: competitiveness.
The Ocean State’s refusal to allow gay marriage sends a message of intolerance to technology and life-science companies he’d like to attract and puts the state at odds with the younger generation of innovators he wants to retain, Chafee said in an interview. He’s pressing the state Senate to follow the lower chamber, which on Jan. 24 approved a same-sex marriage bill.