Hawaii Passes Civil Unions

[leekohler]

The Hawaii house of representatives passed a bill Friday to legalize civil unions in the state after more than a decade of contentious debate with a vote of 31-19, the Associated Press reports.

The state senate passed the same bill last month. Gov. Neil Abercrombie is expected to sign the bill into law.

Evan Wolfson, the founder and president of Freedom to Marry was co-counsel in the landmark Hawaii marriage case, Baehr v. Miike, which in the 1990s launched the current nationwide conversation around the freedom to marry.

"This is a victory for all families, because it strengthens the lives of many couples and their loved ones while taking nothing away from anyone else, thereby strengthening the entire ohana, the entire community," he said in a statement Friday. "Freedom to Marry applauds Equality Hawaii for its leadership in securing needed protections for Hawaii’s families."

State lawmakers passed similar legislation last year, but former Gov. Linda Lingle vetoed the bill.

http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/02/11/Hawaii_Legislature_Passes_Civil_Unions/

Another one down. :)

[citizenzen]

Yays!

Anti-gay sentiment is moving further and further away from the mainstream.

Get used to it America. Gay rights are spreading across the land.

And it's about time.

[freeny]

For a state so reliant on tourism, especially marriage and honeymoons, this was as no brainer as no brainer could get :)

[leekohler]

Yep- this is awesome! :D

[thejadedmonkey]

I don't even remember what the argument against civil unions is anymore.:confused:

[leekohler]

I don't even remember what the argument against civil unions is anymore.:confused:

It might lead to gay marriage. The truth is that the bigots don't want us to have any rights at all.

[yg17]

I don't even remember what the argument against civil unions is anymore.:confused:

Same bull **** as the arguments against gay marriage. Not natural, they can't have children, they're sinners, blah blah blah.

Like Lee said, it's not that they're against giving them the right to get married or the right to get a civil union, they're against giving them any rights at all. I'm sure some would even argue against their right to live. They're just a bunch of bigots.

[Queso]

I'm surprised it took liberal and cosmopolitan Hawaii so long, but very happy they got there in the end. Wonderful news :)

[Eraserhead]

Same bull **** as the arguments against gay marriage. Not natural, they can't have children, they're sinners, blah blah blah.

Like Lee said, it's not that they're against giving them the right to get married or the right to get a civil union, they're against giving them any rights at all. I'm sure some would even argue against their right to live. They're just a bunch of bigots.

Agreed.

[Thomas Veil]

Get used to it America. Gay rights are spreading across the land.

And it's about time.Hear, hear!

I don't even remember what the argument against civil unions is anymore.:confused:It might lead to gay marriage.No! Not that!! Anything but that!!!

That will....

...uh....

What was the problem with that again? :p

[iStudentUK]

Welcome to the civilised world Hawaii! :D

[leekohler]

Same bull **** as the arguments against gay marriage. Not natural, they can't have children, they're sinners, blah blah blah.

Like Lee said, it's not that they're against giving them the right to get married or the right to get a civil union, they're against giving them any rights at all. I'm sure some would even argue against their right to live. They're just a bunch of bigots.

This is why we've been pushing for full marriage rights anyway. They won't compromise on civil unions either. Their goal is to put us back in the closet, not treat us fairly. So we might as well go for it all. **** them.

[Gelfin]

So we might as well go for it all. **** them.

Pretty sure that's exactly what they are afraid of. And disturbingly curious about.

[leekohler]

Pretty sure that's exactly what they are afraid of. And disturbingly curious about.

Let them be. Nothing will make those people happy. They like to be afraid and they like to hate.

[yg17]

I'm surprised it took liberal and cosmopolitan Hawaii so long, but very happy they got there in the end. Wonderful news :)

They had a republican governor until a couple months ago.

[likemyorbs]

So how many states are we up to now that have gay marriage or civil unions? I know my state has had civil unions since 2007 i think, and last year they tried to pass gay marriage in the lame duck session before our new idiot republitard governor Chris Christie took office, but unfortunately it failed. Not that it matters, the supreme court will be legalizing it nationwide soon.

[neko girl]

Congrats, Hawaii (:

[FreeState]

So how many states are we up to now that have gay marriage or civil unions? I know my state has had civil unions since 2007 i think, and last year they tried to pass gay marriage in the lame duck session before our new idiot republitard governor Chris Christie took office, but unfortunately it failed. Not that it matters, the supreme court will be legalizing it nationwide soon.

Heres a map:)

[Corruptitudes]

This is why we've been pushing for full marriage rights anyway. They won't compromise on civil unions either. Their goal is to put us back in the closet, not treat us fairly. So we might as well go for it all. **** them.

Id rather kick the government out of marriage then to give you the belief you are married. There are many like me as well. Keep pushing. And we will get rid of any so called marriage benefits. You wont receive marriage, you will just get the government out of the marriage business.

[citizenzen]

Id rather kick the government out of marriage then to give you the belief you are married.


So you're willing to give up these (http://gaylife.about.com/od/samesexmarriage/a/benefits.htm) (and more) benefits...?


According to a report given to the Office of the General Counsel of the U.S. General Accounting Office, here are a few of the 1,138 benefits the United States government provides to legally married couples:


Access to Military Stores
Assumption of Spouse’s Pension
Bereavement Leave
Immigration
Insurance Breaks
Medical Decisions on Behalf of Partner
Sick Leave to Care for Partner
Social Security Survivor Benefits
Tax Breaks
Veteran’s Discounts
Visitation of Partner in Hospital or Prison
Automatic Inheritance
Automatic Housing Lease Transfer
Bereavement Leave
Burial Determination
Child Custody
Crime Victim’s Recovery Benefits
Divorce Protections
Domestic Violence Protection
Exemption from Property Tax on Partner’s Death
Immunity from Testifying Against Spouse
Joint Adoption and Foster Care
Joint Bankruptcy
Joint Parenting (Insurance Coverage, School Records)
Medical Decisions on Behalf of Partner
Certain Property Rights
Reduced Rate Memberships
Sick Leave to Care for Partner
Visitation of Partner’s Children
Visitation of Partner in Hospital or Prison
Wrongful Death (Loss of Consort) Benefits



Just to deny them to homosexuals?

Really?

[SuperCachetes]

Id rather kick the government out of marriage then to give you the belief you are married. There are many like me as well. Keep pushing. And we will get rid of any so called marriage benefits. You wont receive marriage, you will just get the government out of the marriage business.

Why would you do that? Does what someone else does really make you that insecure about yourself?

[Gelfin]

And we will get rid of any so called marriage benefits.

Why don't you list some of the so-called benefits you mean for government to stop providing? I am genuinely curious what you think government does in this capacity.

You wont receive marriage, you will just get the government out of the marriage business.

Great. Government stops enforcing who can say they're married, so I don't have to go to the courthouse or register or pay any fees, and at any point I choose, I can print up my own marriage certificate and declare myself married to anyone, and I am therefore married just as legitimately as you would be. When you meet two people and they say they're married, you have no way of knowing if they were married under your religion or some other religion or no religion at all. More to the point, without government involvement, who is the arbiter of which of those marriages are legitimate and which are not in the first place?

[Rt&Dzine]

Id rather kick the government out of marriage then to give you the belief you are married. There are many like me as well. Keep pushing. And we will get rid of any so called marriage benefits. You wont receive marriage, you will just get the government out of the marriage business.

Probably not. Your old-fashioned ideas are getting less and less popular with the younger generations.

[likemyorbs]

Id rather kick the government out of marriage then to give you the belief you are married. There are many like me as well. Keep pushing. And we will get rid of any so called marriage benefits. You wont receive marriage, you will just get the government out of the marriage business.

Who is this WE you speak of? So far i have not heard any politician make a suggestion like that. Beside the fact that my generation has no issue with gay marriage, so whatever idiotic laws your generation passes, or those cute little "constitutional amendments banning gay marriage", we will just throw them out when we take power anyway. People who hold your beliefs are rapidly disappearing, and dying of old age.

[Corruptitudes]

Who is this WE you speak of? So far i have not heard any politician make a suggestion like that. Beside the fact that my generation has no issue with gay marriage, so whatever idiotic laws your generation passes, or those cute little "constitutional amendments banning gay marriage", we will just throw them out when we take power anyway. People who hold your beliefs are rapidly disappearing, and dying of old age.

Not quite dying of old age just yet. Im 31 thank you very much. I know scores of people with the same mindset.

My old fashioned ideals will continue on into my children as well. So it wont die away either. You can continue to believe it is dying out, but dont be fooled.

[TuffLuffJimmy]

My old fashioned ideals will continue on into my children as well. So it wont die away either. You can continue to believe it is dying out, but dont be fooled.

Let's hope not! Your children will be viewed as neo nazis by the time they are your age.

[Gelfin]

Not quite dying of old age just yet. Im 31 thank you very much. I know scores of people with the same mindset.

My old fashioned ideals will continue on into my children as well. So it wont die away either. You can continue to believe it is dying out, but dont be fooled.

No doubt. You can still find scores of white supremacists in many parts of the United States too, and we are all so very proud of their firm commitment to principle.

[Rt&Dzine]

Not quite dying of old age just yet. Im 31 thank you very much. I know scores of people with the same mindset.

My old fashioned ideals will continue on into my children as well. So it wont die away either. You can continue to believe it is dying out, but dont be fooled.

The problem is that time is against you. Nothing stays the same. Everything evolves. Just as the Taliban fears the changing world (in the form of spreading western values), their desperate attempts will not stop progress. You may dream of the ideals of the 1950s, but time won't go back.

[likemyorbs]

My old fashioned ideals will continue on into my children as well. So it wont die away either.

Yeah, that's what the segregationists thought 50 years ago, look how well that worked out for them. :) Most of them are eating their words and apologizing for it today. DADT has already been repealed, gay marriage will be legalized nationwide this decade. How exactly do you think you will turn back the hands of time? Half the country currently supports gay marriage, and that number is steadily increasing. But who needs facts anyway?

You may dream of the ideals of the 1950s, but time won't go back.

But it's fun clinging on to false hope, ain't it?

[CaptMurdock]

My old fashioned ideals will continue on into my children as well.

Yeah, I can tell you don't know much about kids... :p

[Queso]

Not quite dying of old age just yet. Im 31 thank you very much. I know scores of people with the same mindset.
I don't doubt it, but I bet that's only because you live in some evangelical religious echo-chamber :D

Here's a funny thing. Religion doesn't get to decide law, whatever your particular brand of Bronze Age brainwashing has told you. It must be awfully bitter living on the wrong side of history, but when your side does lose (and it's when, not if) and gay marriage becomes universal across the western world you'll have to accept it.

And thanks to all the hateful rhetoric being spouted for your cause nobody will shed tears for you. Not even your own children.

[leekohler]

Id rather kick the government out of marriage then to give you the belief you are married. There are many like me as well. Keep pushing. And we will get rid of any so called marriage benefits. You wont receive marriage, you will just get the government out of the marriage business.

Go for it. You're going to lose. The tide is turning against you and you just can't stand it, can you?

Tell me, what exactly is your problem with gay people?

And believe me, I know there are plenty of you- just like there are plenty of racists and other people who need someone to hate.

[dscuber9000]

Not quite dying of old age just yet. Im 31 thank you very much. I know scores of people with the same mindset.

My old fashioned ideals will continue on into my children as well. So it wont die away either. You can continue to believe it is dying out, but dont be fooled.
And here I was, thinking George Wallace died over a decade ago! :rolleyes:

[Corruptitudes]

Tell me, what exactly is your problem with gay people?


Your immorality disgusts me. Your flamboyant gestures and attitudes make me cringe to the point I really want to hurt that person. Your claims that "marriage equality" is on par with the Civil Rights movement is simply ignorance. Yet all of you repeat it over and over again. No one is forcing you to drink from a different water faucet. No one is forcing you to use separate bathrooms, or schools. And to be frank your excuse of its a Civil Rights issue is a slap in the face of every person of Color in the US who fought for Real Rights.

[citizenzen]

Your immorality disgusts me. Your flamboyant gestures and attitudes make me cringe to the point I really want to hurt that person.

You are in for some trying times ahead.

I'd recommend anger management...

And leaving your guns at home.

[Rt&Dzine]

Your flamboyant gestures and attitudes make me cringe to the point I really want to hurt that person.

It might not be a bad idea to talk to your pastor or a therapist about this.

[likemyorbs]

Your immorality disgusts me. Your flamboyant gestures and attitudes make me cringe to the point I really want to hurt that person.

You do realize that not all gays act flamboyant, right? You're just stereotyping. Just like all blacks are violent, welfare collecting losers. And all Jews are cheap and have big noses. With a lot of them you wouldn't even know they're gay unless they told you. And if someone is gay, they were born that way, it wasn't a choice. It this bothers you so much, your life will really suck in a couple of years.

[iJohnHenry]

It this bothers you so much, your life will really suck in a couple of years.

Unlikely, for he will surround himself with fellow travellers, and blindly carry on in blissful ignorance.

He has a book, which tells him so, so it must be truth.

[Ugg]

Not quite dying of old age just yet. Im 31 thank you very much. I know scores of people with the same mindset.

My old fashioned ideals will continue on into my children as well. So it wont die away either. You can continue to believe it is dying out, but dont be fooled.

The Founding Fathers did not set out to create a country of hateful people. Your kids will figure that out eventually.

[Iscariot]

Your immorality disgusts me. Your flamboyant gestures and attitudes make me cringe to the point I really want to hurt that person. Your claims that "marriage equality" is on par with the Civil Rights movement is simply ignorance. Yet all of you repeat it over and over again. No one is forcing you to drink from a different water faucet. No one is forcing you to use separate bathrooms, or schools. And to be frank your excuse of its a Civil Rights issue is a slap in the face of every person of Color in the US who fought for Real Rights.

…Said the dinosaurs to the meteor.

[SuperCachetes]

Your immorality disgusts me. Your flamboyant gestures and attitudes make me cringe to the point I really want to hurt that person.

Interesting. Hatred and intolerance disgust me.

We've already beat this to death in other threads, but tell me... who says your version of "moral" is the right one for everybody? :confused:

[dscuber9000]

Your immorality disgusts me. Your flamboyant gestures and attitudes make me cringe to the point I really want to hurt that person. Your claims that "marriage equality" is on par with the Civil Rights movement is simply ignorance. Yet all of you repeat it over and over again. No one is forcing you to drink from a different water faucet. No one is forcing you to use separate bathrooms, or schools. And to be frank your excuse of its a Civil Rights issue is a slap in the face of every person of Color in the US who fought for Real Rights.

Civil Rights was about minorities trying to be treated the exact same as everyone else. That's exactly what gay marriage is. I don't know why you think you are somehow better than gay people, or for whatever reason gay people don't deserve the exact same as everyone else, but you're on the wrong side of history, dude.

No one is forcing them to drink from different water faucets, but people are forcing them to get into a "civil union" as opposed to a "marriage" and that is only if they live in a more tolerant state. It's separate but equal. Sometimes it is put to a popular vote, which is letting majorities vote on the rights of the minority. It is 100% COMPLETELY what America is against. People like you are what is wrong with this country. Get off your high horse.

[citizenzen]

Get off your high horse.

Actually... that's a pretty low horse he's riding.

He's facing some serious road rash, riding on that horse.

[leekohler]

Your immorality disgusts me. Your flamboyant gestures and attitudes make me cringe to the point I really want to hurt that person. Your claims that "marriage equality" is on par with the Civil Rights movement is simply ignorance. Yet all of you repeat it over and over again. No one is forcing you to drink from a different water faucet. No one is forcing you to use separate bathrooms, or schools. And to be frank your excuse of its a Civil Rights issue is a slap in the face of every person of Color in the US who fought for Real Rights.

Wow- homophobic much?

Well guess what? Your hatred and ignorance disgusts me. You have no clue what you're talking about. And yes, we are forbidden a lot of things legally right now for no other reason than the existence of people like you. So in effect, we are forced to use a "different water faucet".

And this is absolutely an issue of civil rights. How you cannot see that is amazing. But really, I shouldn't be surprised. You hold on to your hate like a warm security blanket. I hope it keeps you warm at night.

[iStudentUK]

Your immorality disgusts me. Your flamboyant gestures and attitudes make me cringe to the point I really want to hurt that person. Your claims that "marriage equality" is on par with the Civil Rights movement is simply ignorance. Yet all of you repeat it over and over again. No one is forcing you to drink from a different water faucet. No one is forcing you to use separate bathrooms, or schools. And to be frank your excuse of its a Civil Rights issue is a slap in the face of every person of Color in the US who fought for Real Rights.

Banned eh? Well that solves that problem.

I was beginning to wonder if we were becoming victims of Poe's Law.

[Queso]

Well I see Teh Librools™ on MR have silenced another Voice of Truth ;)