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5/1/2025
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House passes resolution affirming LGBTQIA+ support
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STATE HOUSE – Standing up to threats to the safety, rights and existence of LGBTQIA+ people across America, the House of Representatives today passed a resolution sponsored by Rep. Rebecca Kislak affirming its solidarity and support for Rhode Island’s LGBTQIA+ community.
“Rhode Island, our fabulous little state, was famously founded on the principle of religious freedom and we have a strong history of welcoming and protecting our LGBTQIA+ residents. We are important parts of the diverse threads of our community, which, when woven together make our Rhode Island the strong and vibrant place we call home,” said Representative Kislak (D-Dist. 4, Providence) who sponsored the modernization of Rhode Island’s parentage laws and other bills protecting LGBTQIA+ Rhode Islanders. “Rhode Island is a welcoming state. We value our diversity; We will continue to welcome, support and protect our lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex and asexual members of our community. We should do everything we can, and I will do everything, to ensure that no one has to go back into the closet.”
The resolution (2025-H 6125) affirms that every human being has the right to love freely and live their lives openly as who they are, and while transgender and nonbinary Rhode Islanders are facing threats to their very existence, “the State of Rhode Island remains committed to protecting the civil rights of the LGBTQIA+ community… and this Rhode Island State House of Representatives will continue to strengthen its commitment to ensuring dignity and full access to public life; now, therefore this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby proclaims its solidarity with and expresses its support for Rhode Island’s LGBTQIA+ community.”
House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi (D-Dist. 23, Warwick) cosponsored the resolution.
“I am incredibly proud to preside over the House as we confirm our commitment to equality and equity for all. When I became Speaker, I wanted to use my platform to make sure that ALL Rhode Islanders — regardless of background, gender identity, religion, or who they love — would have a voice. I have fought for issues that challenged the status quo: passing the Rhode Island Uniform Parentage Act, which provides equal protection for all children, regardless of how their family was formed; and enacting a Healthcare Provider Shield law, so that doctors who provide gender-affirming or reproductive care can do their jobs without fear of over-reaching action from other states. I also ensured that our state budget included funding for the state’s first and only LGBTQ+ dedicated health care clinic, Open Door Health, and Haus of Codac, a Providence-based organization dedicated to ending homelessness among LGBTQIA+ youth,” said Speaker Shekarchi. “Today, our country is at a crossroads. Many of our rights, and our community’s rights, are under attack. Today, we are showing that our collective voice is powerful, and that we will not be erased.”
Representatives spoke in favor of the resolution, including Rep. Edith H. Ajello (D-Dist. 1, Providence), a cosponsor of the resolution who has championed civil rights for LGBTQIA+ Rhode Islanders from her early days in the House, to which she was first elected in 1992.
“Here in Rhode Island, I’m happy to say we’ve worked steadily to create the significant evolution our laws have needed to protect the rights to which every single person is entitled. We’ve come a long way since I first got involved, sponsoring the repeal of the state’s law against sodomy to protect the rights of lesbian and gay people to adopt children. A few years later, we became one of the first states to add gender identity to our discrimination laws,” said Representative Ajello. “It was a true honor, when I chaired the House Judiciary Committee in 2013, to help enact the state’s marriage equality law that was the product of so many years of work by so many people. It was a testament to the progress we’d made when, a few months later, our first out speaker, Gordon Fox, was married in his State House office. I’m proud to stand up again today for the rights and dignity of our state’s LGBTQIA+ community.”
LGBTQIA Action RI supports the resolution.
“LGBTQIA Action RI is grateful to the House for passing this resolution in support of the LGBTQIA community. It’s important and valuable at this moment in time to have those in positions of power affirming that they stand with us. We hope Rhode Island continues to be a state at the forefront of protecting and advancing LGBTQIA rights and equality,” said Denise Crooks from LGBTQIA Action RI.
For more information, contact:
Meredyth R. Whitty, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-1923
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