Hawaii House Passes Gay Marriage Bill

Soon there may be 16 states plus the District of Columbia that afford gays full marriage equality rights as the Hawaii House of Representatives votes for gay marriage by a margin of 30 to 19.  Governor Neil Abercrombie has praised the House action.  He has previously promised to sign gay marriage legislation.  It is noteworthy that in opposing the measure, the Christofascists and minions of the Mormon Church trotted out the same old tired lies proving yet again that no one lies more than the self-anointed godly folk.  It's also ironic that the opponents of equality whined that the matter should be put to a popular vote.  Personally, I look forward to the day when far right Christians are an increasingly small minority of the larger population and then we'll see how anxious they are to have their own rights put to a popular vote. Here are highlights from Hawaii News Now:

The Hawaii House of Representatives passed a third reading of an amended version of SB 1, the "Hawaii Marriage Equality Act of 2013" late Friday night.  After hours of procedural delays, which involved motion after motion introduced by Representatives who have stood in opposition to same-sex marriage -- the House finally voted on the bill, passing it 30 - 19 with two legislators excused. 

Advocates of the bill, who flooded the mauka side of the Capitol Rotunda, erupted in cheers and tears of joy as they reached for each other hugging and kissing their fellow same-sex marriage supporters. Across the way on the makai side, opponents fell quiet after hours of chanting "Let the people vote!" -- many held hands and bowed their heads in prayer.

In a statement released by the Governor's office immediately following the bill, Governor Neil Abercrombie -- who called the Special Session -- said the following:

"I commend the House of Representatives for taking this historic vote to move justice and equality forward. 

"After more than 50 hours of public testimony from thousands of testifiers on both sides of the issue, evaluating dozens of amendments, and deliberating procedures through hours of floor debates, the House passed this significant bill, which directly creates a balance between marriage equity for same-sex couples and protects our First Amendment freedoms for religious organizations. 

"I applaud Speaker Souki, Judiciary Chair Rhoads, Finance Chair Luke, Majority Leader Saiki and the rest of the leadership team for their patience, fairness and hard work in shepherding this bill through the House. 

"I am confident that the Senate will address the bill in the same spirit. I look forward to a successful conclusion to this major step in affirming everyone's civil rights."

SB 1, House Draft 1 expands the bills original religious exemptions to protect clergy from refusing to perform wedding ceremonies and religious institutions from being compelled to allow wedding celebrations or provide wedding goods or services to a same-sex couple. 

SB 1, HD 1 now crosses over to the Senate, where officials confirm it will be taken up Tuesday, November 12 (following the Veterans Day holiday) at 10 a.m. 

If SB 1, HD 1 passes in the Senate, it will go into effect December 2, 2013.

Meanwhile, Virginia remains a theocratic backwater thanks to the past actions of individuals like Ken Cuccinelli and Mark Obenshain.  Thankfully, I suspect history will not view them kindly.