Senate President Paiva Weed: An American Hero

Virtuous action is rare in today’s political realm. Partisan divides are ubiquitous. These circumstances, however, are what make Rhode Island’s new legislation legalizing same-sex marriage all the more incredible. And it is because of these circumstances that I believe Rhode Island Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed is an American hero.

For years Paiva Weed has stood as an obstacle to marriage equality. A hardworking Democratic politician, she sits as the first female Senate President in RI. She is reportedly conservative, raised Catholic, but has been private about her reasons for opposing same-sex marriage. Still, Paiva Weed stayed true to her vow not to kill the marriage equality bill introduced by the likes of Senator Donna Nesselbush from Pawtucket. As the powerful Senate President, she could have. But she did not.

Economy-centric in her policy, perhaps Paiva Weed saw that a new study done by UCLA’s pro-marriage equality Williams Institute found that legalizing gay marriage would add $7 million to RI’s economy in a three-year period. Perhaps she feared displeasing her constituents in Jamestown and Newport, RI. But as the Senate was the major test for gay marriage in RI, with the House unanimously passing the bill and Governor Lincoln Chafee enthusiastically vowing to sign it, her actions as Senate President are, in effect, the lifeblood of the marriage equality law we can expect to see pass this summer.

Politicians who act in their own interests, concerned with pleasing lobbyists  more than their constituents, should learn from Paiva Weed. Opponents of gun control should take note. She was on the losing side, but she preserved the democracy that guarantees her legislative hopes, when in the majority, from being derailed by a selfish few. For that, even if her vote was on the wrong side of history, we should celebrate her.