“ Reviewing a year’s worth of data, the Rhode Island ACLU reported today that gay and lesbian couples have emphatically said “I Don’t!” to the state’s civil union law. According to statistics obtained from the RI Department of Health, a total of only 68 couples obtained civil union licenses in the first year of the law, which took effect July 1, 2011. By contrast, when civil union laws took effect earlier this year in two states with similar populations to Rhode Island, Hawaii reported the issuance of at least 106 civil union licenses, and Delaware reported more than 85, in the first month alone. ”
— Emphasizing just how irrelevant last year’s law has turned out to be, [RI ACLU director Steven] Brown noted that while 22 individuals obtained civil union licenses from January to June of this year, 23 Rhode Islanders won $10,000 or more playing Powerball in the same period of time.
