Aloha, Civil Unions

by Michael Jones · 2010-01-23 09:01:00 UTC
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HawaiiIf it's not full marriage equality, is it still a victory for LGBT rights? Good question, and one that activists might be forced to ask themselves if civil unions legislation in Hawaii keeps moving forward. This week, Hawaii's State Senate voted to pass a civil unions bill, 18-7. It now moves to Hawaii's House of Representatives, where a similar bill passed last year.

Civil unions have been scorned by many as separate and unequal, with activists in states like Vermont and New Jersey using the weaknesses of a civil unions system to push for full marriage equality. But for many in Hawaii, harshing on civil unions is just raining on their parade.

"I'm very happy. It's not marriage, but it gives us an opportunity to be recognized as a couple," Hawaii resident Carlos Quintana told reporters.

And therein is the good news about the State Senate's vote. It's not a perfect system, but if civil unions move forward, they'll allow many gay and lesbian couples in the Aloha State to have their relationships recognized in some capacity. And that's better than nothing.

Meanwhile, all eyes turn toward Hawaii's House of Representatives. One of their leaders, State Rep. Calvin Say, said that the House will need a majority of legislators to support the bill in order for it to move forward, which means getting 34 state reps to sign on. Snagging that magic number of 34 would be insurance against a possible veto by current Governor Linda Lingle, a Republican (albeit a moderate). She's yet to indicate how she'd rule on the legislation, although she has told legislators that she wishes they'd focus on something else.

Because, you know, civil rights can be so inconvenient.

Photo credit: Michael Kollwitz

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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