Hawaii

The Hawaii state Senate on Wednesday voted to approve civil unions for same-sex couples. The bill now goes to Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who supports civil unions and has promised to sign the bill into law.

HONOLULU — The Hawaii House of Representatives on Friday voted to approve civil unions for same-sex couples, moving the proposal back to the state Senate for final consideration.

HONOLULU — Hawaii moved another step closer to granting civil unions for same-sex couples. A bill was approved in the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday evening by a vote of 11-2, and now moves to the full House for debate and a vote.

Two New Hampshire legislators have introduced bills to repeal the state’s marriage equality law, even though Republican leaders said that such a repeal is not a party priority in 2011. And several other states saw legislative moves toward or away from equality in the past week.

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.

Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie (D) has nominated lesbian judge Sabrina McKenna to the state’s Supreme Court. “I don’t think I ever would have imagined achieving this kind of honor in my life,” McKenna said. “I do think that the world is changing, and I think that my appointment is an example of that.”

The Hawaii Civil Unions Bill has made it out of committee by a vote of 3-2 and now advances to the full Senate. The measure is expected to pass easily and Democratic Gov. Neil Abercrombie, a gay rights supporter, said he would sign the bill if passed by the Legislature.

2011 will likely see a number of battles state by state across the country. Three states plus the District of Columbia are facing the prospect of losing marriage equality, an additional seven states could start the process of amending their state constitutions to ban marriage equality, five could gain marriage equality.

Neil Abercrombie has been elected Hawaii’s next governor, becoming the first Democrat to hold the seat in eight years, clearing the way for same-sex civil unions to become state law next year.

A group of same-sex couples are suing the state of Hawaii, alleging violations of constitutional rights in the wake of Governor Linda Lingle’s veto of civil unions bill that would have given same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual couples.

Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle vetoed a civil unions bill Tuesday that would have given same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual couples, saying the issue needs to be put to a referendum.

The Hawaii state House, conflicted by emotion and election-year politics, voted yesterday to indefinitely postpone action on a civil-unions bill, reports the Honolulu Advertiser. The voice vote, which came after no debate, essentially kills the bill this session, since it would require a two-thirds majority to bring the bill back for consideration. Gay rights activists […]

The state Senate voted 18-7 on Friday to approve a bill recognizing civil unions in Hawaii, giving gay and opposite sex partners the same rights and benefits as married couples. The bill now goes back to the House, which passed it last year, but has yet to decide if it will vote on the bill. […]

University of Hawai’i head football coach Greg McMackin was suspended without pay for 30 days and will take a voluntary 7 percent pay cut from his $1.1 million salary after he used a gay slur during a Western Athletic Conference press conference yesterday in Salt Lake City, school officials announced. McMackin, who will lose approximately […]