Hawaii nixes same-sex civil unions bill

Hawaii nixes same-sex civil unions bill
Copyright by The Chicago Free Press
Published: February 4, 2010
http://dev.chicagofreepress.com/2010/02/04/nation-world-report-hawaii-nixes-same-sex-civil-unions-bill/


HONOLULU—Hawaii lawmakers declined to vote on a bill that would have allowed same-sex civil unions, effectively doing away with the measure.

State House leaders said a narrow majority of representatives would have voted for civil unions, but they decided to indefinitely postpone a decision on whether to grant gay and lesbian couples the same rights and benefits the state provides to married couples.

Civil union supporters in the crowded House gallery shouted, “Shame on you!” while opponents cheered.

“It’s an election year, and they’re more concerned about keeping their seats than doing what’s right,” said Stephen Nagle of Kaaawa, wearing a rainbow lei in support of civil unions.

The state Senate had approved a civil unions bill, but House leadership wavered on pushing the controversial issue. Last year, 33 of 51 House members voted in favor of civil unions.

Had a civil unions bill been enacted, Hawaii would have joined California, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington, all of which grant essentially all the rights of marriage to same-sex couples without authorizing marriage itself. Five other states permit same-sex marriage: Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut.

The Aloha State has been a battleground in the gay rights movement since the early 1990s. A 1993 Hawaii Supreme Court ruling nearly made it the first state to legalize same-sex marriage before voters overwhelmingly approved the nation’s first “defense of marriage” constitutional amendment in 1998. The amendment gave the Legislature the power to reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples, but left the door open for civil unions.