Coming shortly after New Jersey’s own gay marriage bill passes, Hawaii has started to debate a proposal to make Hawaii the 15th state in the U.S. to allow gay marriage. The governor, Neil Abercrombie, stressed that, the proposal would address opponents arguments that the legalization of gay marriage in Hawaii would infringe on certain religious organizations’ freedom. According to Abercrombie, the proposal would exempt religious organizations from having to perform same-sex marriages if they do not wish to. According to the Chicago Tribune, Abercrombie stated, “Our whole focus has been on trying to accommodate the First Amendment here with respect to people's religious rights, and that's been done in good faith.” According to Yahoo News, Abercrombie, who as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for two decades before becoming Hawaii’s governor in 2010, signed a same-sex civil unions bill two years ago, and ever since he has been in favor of passing gay marriage.
Although the bill has not yet been officially passed, a House committee is expected to hold a hearing on Thursday, November 7th. However, the bill is expected to pass, as proponents of the bill outnumber opponents 44-7 in the House and 24-1 in the Senate.
By Sean Farrell; Guest Contributor/ Women's Center Volunteer
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