Photo courtesy of the Human Rights Campaign-Equality Hawaii
By Editors LGBTQNation (Phoenix, Arizona) JAN 30 | The Hawaii State Senate on Friday passed a civil unions bill that would grant same-sex and heterosexual partners essentially the same protections, rights and benefits currently extended to married couples.The bill says unmarried, unrelated couples may have a judge or clergy solemnize their civil union, which will provide the same responsibilities and benefits of marriage under state law, reports KITV-TV.
The bill passed the full Senate 19-6.
The bill is nearly identical to a bill last year, only to be vetoed by then Gov. Linda Lingle, a Repblican.
Hawaii’s new Democratic Gov. Neil Abercrombie has promised to sign civil unions legislation if approved, calling it a simple issue of civil rights.
After Friday’s vote, the measure moves to the state House, where, leaders said they expect it to pass by a wide margin.
If passed into law, Hawaii would become the sixth state to grant essentially the same rights of marriage to same-sex couples, albeit without authorizing marriage itself.
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2 comments:
If the rights are the same, what's in a word? The whole point is to have the rights (and responsibilities) to and with each other, not to worry about word usage. Sometimes the arguments about the meaning of the word "marriage" puts us all at risk by offering a handy 'target' for the adamantly religious right (wrong as they are).
Let the State issue the civil licence for the union of the lovers or de facto relationships as wanted. Let the organised churches solemnize the union as a marriage if they so wish, according to their cult beliefs. This keeps Church and State separate.
Let the agnostics and atheists live in the peace they prefer.
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