The promise made back on Feb. 23, 2011 was nothing less than the fulfillment of a fundamental civil right. “This signing today of this measure says to all of the world that they are welcome,” said Governor Neil Abercrombie, finally making it legal for the State of Hawaii to legalize same-sex civil unions. “That everyone is a brother or sister here in paradise.”
It’s easy to forget now, but this was a huge deal at the time. A bill legalizing civil unions had crossed Governor Linda Lingle’s desk near the end of her term of office, and her decision to veto it after weeks of indecision had made national headlines. Abercrombie had campaigned on making civil unions legal, and it was one of the first things he did in office.
The law, known as Act 1, went into effect on Jan. 1 of this year. Considering the big headlines and national hype that went along with the signing, it was somewhat surprising to find that legions of same-sex couples haven’t exactly been rushing to fill out civil union applications.
Full Story from the Maui Times
Find more articles and gay wedding resources in Hawaii.
To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook. We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.
