WASHINGTON – Brian Brown, president of the anti-gay National Organization for Marriage, hit a new low Wednesday, responding to the passage of a marriage equality bill in the Rhode Island state Senate by proclaiming:

"It's bad enough when families break down through divorce or death, but it's unconscionable when a state encourages this through policies that deprive children of the love of both a mother and a father. This is a very sad day for Rhode Island."

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Rhode Island Senate is debating the marriage-equality bill at 4 pm EDT/1 pm PDT today.

To watch the live debate and vote, click HERE. THE SITE HAS CRASHED! Click HERE for coverage by WPRI-TV.

The Senate’s president, Teresa Paiva Weed, a Democrat who opposes same-sex marriage, is allowing her colleagues to vote on S38, the marriage-equality bill.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Rhode Island state Senate will be considering a marriage equality bill when lawmakers return this week for the final work of their annual session.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to consider legislation allowing gay couples to wed. The session is scheduled for 3 p.m. Tuesday.

NEW YORK – Freedom to Marry announced today a 2013 drive to raise and invest $2 million through the Win More States Fund, with an initial focus on passing freedom to marry legislation in several states across the country.

In its first 2013 wave of contributions, Freedom to Marry is investing $800,000 in states where marriage bills are being debated – including Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey and Rhode Island – and is calling on others to be a part of these victories through strategic and early Win More States Fund investment.