Hawaii Senate Approves Civil Unions Bill

By a vote of 19 to 7, the Hawaii Senate has approved a civil unions bill which, while equal to marriage, could greatly improve the legal rights of same sex couples in that state, thus making it more attractive for gay residents and gay tourists seeking a gay friendly vacation destination. Where the bill goes from here will depend on the House vote. Unfortunately, the House, which passed the bill last year has not promised passage this year. The fact that LGBT citizens must have their legal rights voted upon in the first place either by a state legislature or in ballot initiatives continues to demonstrate that the USA's promise of equality and freedom of religion for all remains a sad farce. Christo-fascists have full rights while gays do not - all because of the legal enshrinement of religious discrimination. Here are some highlights from the Honolulu Star Observer:

*
House Bill 444 cleared the state Senate yesterday on an 18-7 vote. It now goes to the House, which supported the bill last year but is now not promising passage. If the bill clears the House or a joint House-Senate conference committee and goes to Gov. Linda Lingle, its fate is unknown because Lingle has never expressed an opinion on the bill. So lawmakers want a veto-proof majority in case Lingle rejects the bill.
*
House Speaker Calvin Say said the Democratic caucus would meet Monday to discuss options regarding the civil unions bill, adding that he was uncertain of what would happen. But Say said he would only proceed if the House had the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto by the governor.
*

"My personal recommendation is that if we do have the two-thirds, I would consider it," said Say (D, Palolo Valley-St. Louis Heights-Wilhelmina Rise). "Because I don't want to go through the exercise of not having the two-thirds and she vetoes, and then it comes back to us to override, and I don't have the votes to override."
*
Say said he was unsure of how members would feel about the measure this year because of the upcoming elections. "In the political environment that we are in, a lot of them may not want to make a hard decision at this point in time because of the election," he said. "It's so highly volatile." Both Say and Rep. Blake Oshiro, the House majority leader, said they support the proposal but would leave it up to members to decide whether to move ahead.
*
The House can hold the bill and not act, killing it, or approve the bill with the Senate amendments and send it to Gov. Lingle for her approval or rejection. If the bill is vetoed, the House and Senate would have to vote with a two-thirds majority to override Lingle's veto. The House could also disagree with the Senate amendments, go into a conference committee with the Senate and write a third version of the bill, which would have to be voted on by both the House and Senate before going to the governor.
*
So much for liberty and freedom for all when one's CIVIL legal rights must be put to a vote in either a legislature or in a general election. Hopefully, more and more people around the world are coming to recognize that the USA does not practice what it preaches to other nations.