No. 10: Gay Marriage Is Law in Rhode Island

August 1 will be a busy day for county clerks around Rhode Island. That's the day the first gay marriages will be allowed, thanks to the bill signed into law today by Gov. Lincoln Chafee, reports the Providence Journal. Couples previously joined in civil unions can upgrade to the real thing, too. Rhode Island is the 10th state and the last in New England to sanction same-sex weddings. Chafee's full remarks are here, but the Advocate zeroes in on the main line: "At long last, you are free to marry the person you love." (More Rhode Island stories.)