Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee signed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage after the state legislature approved the measure Thursday, making Rhode Island the tenth state in the nation to give same-sex couples the right to wed.
Last week both the Rhode Island House and Senate approved by large margins measures allowing same-sex marriage, but more votes were required after the legislation was tweaked. The law will go into effect August 1.
Iowa, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Washington and the District of Columbia allow same-sex marriage. Their combined populations, based on U.S. Census estimates for 2012, represent 15.8% of the U.S. population.
The addition of Rhode Island's 1,050,292 residents will nudge that up to 16.1%.
80% to go.
