Nearly 60 percent of registered voters in Rhode Island now say same-sex couples should be able to legally marry, a ten percentage point jump in just the last two years, according to a report on a new poll in the Providence Journal.

Even more encouraging for gay couples, when pollsters clarified the distinction between civil marriages and religious ceremonies, support for legal marriage grew to 66 percent.

“It shows, for the first time, a convincing majority of Rhode Island voters supporting equality,” said David Walker, vice president of Greenberg Quinlan and Rosner Research, a Democratic polling firm based in Washington, D.C., that conducted the poll in July.

“Marriage equality is inevitable,” Walker said. “The question is not whether, but when.”

Gov. Don Carcieri has vetoed a bill that would have expanded Rhode Island’s hate crimes laws to cover gender expression and identity, a move sought by the powerful anti-LGBT lobby the Family Research Council, which praised Carcieri’s decision.

“Given the challenges facing America, it’s troubling that any legislature would invest time and taxpayer monies to consider such a superfluous agenda-driven maneuver, much less pass it through both Houses,” FRC said in a statement, according to EDGE Boston.

Providence Mayor David Cicilline, who is seeking the Congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Patrick Kennedy, responded to Carcieri’s veto in a statement to Gay Politics:

“I am extremely disappointed that Governor Carcieri chose to oppose protecting individuals from hate crimes based upon gender identity.  His decision to veto this legislation is especially disturbing since our state was founded on the basic principle of freedom of expression.  I will continue to work to ensure that discrimination of any kind based upon gender identity or expression is prohibited in Rhode Island,” Cicilline said.

State House Speaker Gordon D. Fox has not decided whether legislators will return to the capitol to attempt to override Carcieri’s veto.

The Rhode Island Republican Party is welcoming Log Cabin Republicans as a new party caucus, according to a report in The State Column:

It is unclear exactly what role the caucus will play in the state’s upcoming election if any. Yet, it seems the gay rights movement is gaining political support in a party not normally known for its support of alternative lifestyles.

The move comes at the same time as gay rights have become an increasingly pertinent issue in Rhode Island politics.

In March, more than 250 supporters of same-sex marriage crowded into the State House Rotunda for a rally aimed at demonstrating to legislators that the issue has popular support.

Four candidates for governor and the representative of a fifth have noted their support saying they would sign legislation to allowing same-sex couples to marry if they win the November election.

Independent candidate Lincoln Chafee said Rhode Island is “way overdue,” to embrace gay marriage. “We are the last New England state to pass this. We’re way overdue and I pledge to work with you to make it happen.”

The major Democratic and independent candidates for governor of Rhode Island support marriage rights for same-sex couples, according to the Associated Press:

Three major candidates running for governor of Rhode Island have promised to support and sign a bill allowing gay marriage if elected.

General Treasurer Frank Caprio and Attorney General Patrick Lynch, both Democrats, and former Sen. Lincoln Chafee, who is running in November as an independent, made the pledge at a Statehouse rally on Wednesday before more than 200 people.

Meanwhile the Providence Journal reported the major GOP contenders oppose marriage equality:

The other announced gubernatorial candidate, Republican John Robitaille, issued a statement saying he supports federal law that defines marriage as between a man and a woman and would “not support any attempt” to redefine it.

Victor G. Moffit, a Republican who is expected to run for governor, said he believes marriage is between one man and one woman, but would not veto a same-sex marriage bill.

Gordon Fox, who is openly gay, was just elected speaker of the Rhode Island State House, and openly gay Providence Mayor David Cicilline has announced his candidacy for Congress.

Listed in the Providence Journal’s “10 People to Watch in 2010,” out state representative and current majority leader Gordon D. Fox could become the next house speaker, making him one of Rhode Island’s most powerful politicians.

Garnering support from the current speaker, William J. Murphy, Fox, a fierce advocate of marriage equality, must gain enough support from his more moderate colleagues to beat out conservative competition.

In a state that’s home to a governor who opposes even domestic partnerships, Fox’s leadership could prove critical in Rhode Island’s effort to provide equality for its LGBT residents.

The Providence Journal reports:

First elected in November 1992, Fox represents District 4 in the city’s Mount Hope, Summit and Blackstone neighborhoods. He takes particular pride in the passage of a bill he sponsored to ban smoking in nearly all public places in Rhode Island.

Fox recently resigned his seat on the Providence Board of Licenses, but still teaches a human resources class in Johnson & Wales University’s graduate program one night a week. This year could be a good one for another reason: Rhode Island College has chosen him to deliver the commencement address and receive an honorary doctorate from his alma mater at the same ceremony.

It remains unclear when Murphy will step aside, triggering the vote for a new House speaker. But whichever title he holds, Fox says: “Balancing the budget and long-term education reform will be the biggest challenges of 2010.”

His solutions for the state’s unrelenting budget crisis: “Improving our economic development efforts and creating more jobs. We must spend within our means, while also providing for those in need.”