Same-sex civil unions set to become legal in Hawaii

HONOLULU — Hawaii soon will become the seventh state to legalize same-sex civil unions or their equivalent after its state senate Feb. 16 passed a bill by a vote of 18–5, sending it to Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who has pledged to sign it. The bill, which passed the House 31–19 on Feb. 11, will grant homosexual couples all the state legal benefits of marriage, minus the name. Critics said it was simply a stepping stone to gay “marriage” itself, and they pointed to other states — Connecticut, New Hampshire and Vermont — that recognized civil unions before legalizing gay “marriage.”

Six other states recognize civil unions or their counterpart, domestic partnerships: California, Illinois, New Jersey, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.

Five other states recognize gay “marriage”: Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. The District of Columbia also recognizes gay “marriage.” (TAB)