Governor Lingle vetoes civil union bill in Hawaii

July 06, 2010

Governor Lingle rejects the will of the Legislature and Turns Her Back on Committed Same-Sex Couples

July 6, 2010
Press Contact:
Sean Eldridge
Director of Communications, Freedom to Marry
sean@freedomtomarry.org

Statement from Evan Wolfson, Executive Director of Freedom to Marry, the leading campaign to win marriage equality nationwide, on Governor Lingle's decision to veto the civil union bill in Hawaii:

"In the 1990s, Hawaii began the ongoing international movement toward ending gay couples' exclusion from marriage and was the first U.S. state to create a legal status to provide some state-level recognition and protections for same-sex couples.  In the historic Baehr case, the Hawaii Supreme Court acknowledged a constitutional mandate to treat same-sex couples equally.  Governor Lingle's decision to veto the civil union bill is deeply disappointing and unnecessarily delays Hawaii's journey toward fairness and equality.  Governor Lingle has rejected the will of the state legislature and the advice of countless business and faith leaders and turned her back on the committed couples and Hawaii kin who have expressed their support for this measure.  Freedom to Marry urges the Hawaii state legislature to overrule Governor Lingle's veto and take an important step toward fairness and equal protection for same-sex couples in Hawaii."

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Freedom to Marry is the leading campaign working to win marriage nationwide.  We partner with organizations and supporters across the country to end the exclusion of same-sex couples from the responsibilities, protections, and commitment of marriage.