Politics & Government

'Jubilant' Day for Riverside Couple Who Will Marry Again Under Same-Sex Law

East Providence women picked up a marriage license early Thursday morning; they plan to marry again on Tuesday under the new same-sex marriage law in RI.

Kate Telford and Amber Fearn married in a “personal ceremony” 10 years ago. And with the support of their family and friends, the Riverside couple have felt married for a decade even though their marriage was not recognized in Rhode Island.

That situation changed Thursday, Aug. 1, when same-sex marriages became legal in Rhode Island. And they plan to marry again next Tuesday even though they have felt every bit like a married couple for a decade.

“We got the license Thursday morning,” said Telford, “after waiting a very long time. It was long overdue.” 

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“That piece of paper still is very important to us,” said Fearn. “I got a rush when we got the license. We’ve been together for 15 years."

A man in the East Providence City Clerk’s office looked at them as they got the license and said: “Awesome! Now my niece can get married too.”

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The rest of their day saw similar congratulatory responses from family members and friends, despite them “making no distinction” from other married couples over the past 10 years.

“It was overwhelming, really,” said Telford, a state archivist. “My boss congratulated me, hugged me and then I got choked up. It was pretty moving. It was a nice, positive day.”

Fearn, an architectural renderer, did not say she get choked up, but her day was definitely “jubilant” and “celebratory” after living through year after year of disappointment when the same-sex marriage bill failed in the General Assembly.

“It was eternally frustrating,” she said. “It’s nice not to worry about not being seen as in a legitimate relationship.”

Neither woman wanted a civil union – the only option available to gay couples in Rhode Island until Thursday. They wanted to wait for the state to legalize same-sex marriage. 

“We saw no point in going to another state,” said Telford.

“I had a good feeling this year,” said Fearn.

Telford wasn’t quite as optimistic. In fact, she thought same-sex marriage would fail again because it might not emerge from committee for a vote on the floor.

When it did, she gave a lot of credit to East Providence Sen. William Conley Jr. for casting a vote to get it on the Senator floor. That was a key for her, Telford said, whether he personally supported gay marriage or not. He did vote for the bill as well. 

They also praised Gov. Chafee for his support of the issue.

Both women also said they were glad there were no protests in East Providence like in Cranston.

It really was a “wonderful day” for them, they said, even though they feel like they have been married for 10 years. That didn’t change even though many of their legal rights did.


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