According to a press release issued by Lambda Legal:
“On April 29, 2010, the last day of its legislative session, the Hawaii House of Representatives voted to grant the state’s straight and gay couples the right to join in civil union, following a similar vote earlier this session by the state senate. The historic vote took many observers by surprise.”
If not vetoed by the Governor, House Bill 444 will extend the same rights, benefits, protections and responsibilities of spouses in a marriage to partners in a civil union.
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copyright 2010 Irene C. Olszewski
Wasn’t it the gay marriage issue in Hawaii several years ago that started the federal DOMA thing in the first place? It’s amazing that it took so long for Hawaii to finally at least give gays and lesbians some kind of legal recognition for their relationships.
Yes, the Baehr v. Levin case seems to have started the ball rolling.