Tag Archives: Hawaii

Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie says that he agrees with and will not defend against a lawsuit calling his state’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. Also being sued is the license-issuing Hawaii Department of Health, who will defend themselves. “Under current law, a heterosexual couple can choose to enter into a marriage or a civil union. A same-sex couple, however, may …

Bradlee Dean is the Minnesota radio host/preacher who is suing Rachel Maddow for $50M for saying that he wants gay people executed.

With the new year comes the enactment of civil unions for the residents of Hawaii and Delaware. Hawaii News Now tells of the first couples to take part there: For Donna Gedge and Monica Montgomery, there was a lot of anticipation as they awaited the stroke of midnight — and the law to take effect. “It’s very high,” said Montgomery. …

A lesbian couple has filed suit against Hawaii, claiming that next month’s legalization of civil unions denies them their full rights. The suit names gay-friendly Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who signed the civil unions bill, as a defendant. “Civil union doesn’t do, it just doesn’t do the same thing,” said Janin Kleid, Plaintiff. The couple has not been in contact with …

Performed last night to an audience that included President Obama. From the Honolulu Star-Advertiser: Slack-key celebrity Makana used his performance at an APEC dinner last night at the Hale Koa Hotel as an opportunity to get his pro-Occupy Wall Street movement views out to President Barack Obama and other world leaders. Makana wore an “Occupy with Aloha” t-shirt under his …

By a vote of 22-2, Hawaii’s state Senate has approved a bill banning employment discrimination against transgender residents. The bill has already passed in the state House. Discrimination against transgender individuals is already illegal in Hawaii for housing, public accommodations and employment, but the ban on employment discrimination has only been established by rulings of the Civil Rights Commission and …

Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI) announced tonight that he will not run for reelection in 2012, making him the fifth Senate Democrat to declare their retirement at the end of the current term. Akaka was first appointed to the Senate in 1990 after Sen. Spark Matsunaga died of prostate cancer. After months of thinking about my political future, I am announcing …

Towleroad points us to this clip of yesterday’s civil unions signing ceremony in Hawaii. Gov. Neil Abercrombie makes a great speech that you should enjoy.

To the thunderous cheers of activists and allies, moments ago Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed his state’s civil unions bill into law. As he signed his name, Abercrombie announced that the measure is “the essence of ‘aloha’.” I’ll post video of the signing ceremony shortly.

Just in from Equality Hawaii! Equality Hawaii, the state’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, and the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBT civil rights organization, today applauded the Hawaii legislature for approving civil unions for the second time in ten months. The bill, which was passed in its amended form today by the Hawaii …

The Hawaii House has just approved its civil unions bill by a vote of 31-19! The bill now goes back to the Senate, which passed a similar version of the measure last month. If the Senate agrees to changes in the bill made by the House, the measure would go to Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who supports civil unions legislation. Senate …

Last month Hawaii’s civil unions bill passed in the state Senate. And last night an 11-2 vote moved the bill out of committee and to the full House for a vote expected to be made in the next week or so. The state House Judiciary Committee voted last night to approve a civil-unions bill with amendments to ensure that the …

The Hawaii Senate has just approved its civil unions bill! The Senate voted 19-6 for the bill Friday, sending it to the state House of Representatives for additional consideration. Hawaii would become the sixth state to grant some of the rights of marriage to same-sex couples without authorizing marriage itself. A civil unions bill also passed the Illinois Legislature last …

“Hawaiians are dealing with the same onslaught of bad bills they have become accustomed to in the last several years. A proposal to legalize civil unions, much like the one two years ago, barely passed its first big test in the Senate Judiciary Committee after almost three hours of debate. Like the 2009 fight, this one could hinge on how …

Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie has nominated an openly gay woman to the state Supreme Court. Sabrina McKenna, 53, has spent the last 17 years as a family court judge. The governor said Tuesday that McKenna’s appointment had everything to do with her intelligence, temperament and legal knowledge and nothing to do with her sexuality. McKenna said she believes her sexual …

Hawaii’s civil unions bill yesterday squeaked out of committee and advanced for a vote by the full state Senate. Senate Bill 232 passed the Senate Judiciary and Labor Committee by a 3-2 vote, after a hearing that lasted just over two hours. The bill now goes to the Senate floor for the second of three required votes by the full …

JMG reader Todd writes to tip us that the Hawaii Senate has just begun debating a civil unions bill. Newly-elected Gov. Neil Abercrombie has promised to sign the bill, should it reach his desk. Last year both chambers of the Hawaiian legislature approved a civil unions bill, only to have it vetoed by then-Gov. Linda Lingle. Story developing…

Newly elected Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie (D) says that now that he’s in charge, he’s going to institute changes that allow his state to release birth documentation on President Obama without violating medical confidentiality laws. Abercrombie is quite certain the birth took place in his state because he was friends with Obama’s parents before the future president was born. “It’s …