On April 24th, the Rhode Island State Senate voted 26-12 in favor of gay marriage. Rhode Islanders United for Marriage spearheaded this effort, collecting thousands in donations and many petition signatures with the help of hundreds of volunteers. RI United utilized an aggressive online organizing campaign, advancing efforts on Twitter and Facebook to engage supporters with specific calls to action. Cameron Tolle, Digital Campaign Manager of Freedom to Marry used NationBuilder to organize the field efforts of the LGBT community. 

Rhode Island LGBT organizers have been racking up a series of victories. In 2011, civil unions were allowed within the state. Shortly thereafter, gay rights activist organizations started pressuring voters and elected officials to push forward for full marriage equality and to offer LGBT citizens the same state benefits as straight couples. The bill passed last week goes into effect August 1st.

For more information on the bill, check out this article from the NYTimes.