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Hawaii same-sex marriage bill clears final hurdle

Governor to sign measure after 19-4 vote in state Senate

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Neil Abercrombie, Hawaii, Democratic Party, gay news, Washington Blade

Neil Abercrombie, Hawaii, Democratic Party, gay news, Washington Blade

Gov. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

A bill that would extend marriage rights to same-sex couples in Hawaii on Tuesday cleared its final hurdle.

The 19-4 vote in the state Senate clears the way for Gov. Neil Abercrombie to sign Senate Bill 1 into law. He is expected to do so on Wednesday.

ā€œJoin with me in bending the arc of moral justice by confirming on all Americans equal treatment under the law,ā€ state Sen. Clayton Hee said after he read a letter he received from Edith Windsor, the New York widow who challenged a portion of the Defense of Marriage Act before the U.S. Supreme Court. ā€œLet us confirm that all marriages are equal, regardless if they may be straight or gay.ā€

State Sen. Suzanne Chun-Oakland discussed her upbringing in a Christian and Buddhist household as she spoke emotionally in support of SB1.

“The bill before us provides an opportunity for the people of our state to nurture a just and more compassionate society,” she said.

The Hawaii Supreme Court in 1993 ruled the denial of marriage rights to same-sex couples is unconstitutional. The ruling prompted the passage of DOMA three years later that prohibited the federal government from legally recognizing gay nuptials.

The U.S. Supreme Court in June found a portion of DOMA unconstitutional.

Hawaii voters in 1998 approved a state constitutional amendment that allowed the Legislature to ban same-sex marriage.

The stateā€™s civil unions law took effect in 2012, but a federal judge in August of that year dismissed a lawsuit filed on behalf of two gay couples who sought marriage rights in Hawaii. The plaintiffs appealed, and their case is pending in the U.S. Ninth Circuit alongside a second lawsuit that seeks to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples in Nevada.

Abercrombie and 14 state attorneys general last month filed briefs with the court that urge it to rule in favor of nuptials for gays and lesbians in his state and Nevada.

The Hawaii House of Representatives on Friday gave its final approval to SB1 after lawmakers debated it for more than 12 hours. The chamber two days earlier passed the measure on its second reading following five days of testimony from its supporters and opponents.

The state Senate on Oct. 30 overwhelmingly approved SB1, but it had to consider amendments the House added to the measure.

ā€œThe Legislature has ignored the majority,ā€ state Sen. Mike Gabbard said as he testified against the bill.

Senate Majority Leader Brickwood Galuteria, who introduced SB1, said lawmakers have ā€œheard all the voicesā€ on the issue of marriage rights for same-sex couples in Hawaii as he spoke in support of the measure.

ā€œThere must be no delay or no compromise or no hesitation with our purpose,ā€ he said.

Same-sex couples will be able to marry in Hawaii on Dec. 2.

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National

Blade among nominees for GLAAD Media Awards

Paris Olympics story competing for Outstanding Print Article

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Media watchdog GLAAD announced nominees for its 36th annual GLAAD Media Awards on Wednesday encompassing more than 300 nominees in 33 categories.

The Washington Blade was nominated in the Outstanding Print Article category for, “Paris Olympics: More Queer Athletes, More Medals, More Pride, Less Grindr” by sports editor Dawn Ennis. Additionally, Blade Fellow Henry Carnell was nominated in the Outstanding Online Journalism Article category for “First They Tried to ‘Cure’ Gayness. Now Theyā€™re Fixated on ‘Healing’ Trans People,” with Madison Pauly; the story was published by MotherJones.com.

ā€œCongratulations to Dawn and Henry on their nominations,ā€ said Blade Editor Kevin Naff. ā€œThese honors reflect the Bladeā€™s more than 55-year commitment to excellence in journalism and weā€™re proud of their important work.ā€

“The GLAAD Media Awards were created nearly four decades ago to champion LGBTQ stories amid a deeply hostile and unsafe time for our community. Today, this mission holds true and ever-more important as attacks against LGBTQ people are not only growing, but finding new avenues,ā€ said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis.

The GLAAD Media Awards ceremony will be held later this year in Los Angeles. For the full list of nominees, visit GLAAD.org.

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U.S. Supreme Court

Supreme Court to consider case against Montgomery County Public Schools

Plaintiffs challenging LGBTQ-specific curriculum policy

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U.S. Supreme Court (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The U.S. Supreme Court on Jan. 17 announced it will consider the case of a group of Montgomery County parents who are challenging a policy that does not allow them to “opt out” their children from classes in which lessons or books on LGBTQ-related topics are taught.

The parents in a federal lawsuit they filed in May 2023 allege the Montgomery County Public Schools policy violates their religious beliefs.

A federal judge in Maryland on Aug. 24, 2023, ruled against the parents. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ruling.

“Under the 4th Circuit’s reasoning, parents cannot be heard until after the damage has been done to their children,” reads the Supreme Court filing that CBS News obtained. “But there is no unringing that bell ā€” by then, innocence will be lost and beliefs undermined.”

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Federal Government

Trump-Vance administration removes LGBTQ, HIV resources from government websites

President took similar action shortly after his first inauguration in 2017

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President Donald Trump (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The Trump-Vance administration has “eliminated nearly all LGBTQ and HIV focused content and resources” from WhiteHouse.gov and “key federal agency” websites, GLAAD announced in a press release Tuesday.

Prior to President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday, GLAAD had catalogued more than 50 links to LGBTQ- and HIV-related content on White House web pages and on websites for the State Department and the Departments of Education, Justice, Defense, Health and Human Services, and Labor, along with other agencies like the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

As of Tuesday, GLAAD specifically found that terms like ā€œlesbian,ā€ ā€œbisexual,ā€ ā€œgay,ā€ ā€œtransgender,ā€ ā€œsexual orientation,ā€ ā€œgender identity,ā€ and “LGBTQ” are “no longer accessible on WhiteHouse.gov,” while “some LGBTQ-specific pages have been taken down from sites for the Centers for Disease Control, Department of State, and more.”

Among the pages that are no longer accessible on WhiteHouse.gov are anĀ equity reportĀ Ā from July 2021, aĀ fact sheet with information on expanding access to HIV prevention and treatment from March 2024, and information about Pride Month.

Among the entries on federal agency websites that are no longer available are 94 entries for “LGBT Rights” that were once published on the State Department’s site and dozens of links to information and resources on “LGBTQI+ Policy” that were once available on the Department of Labor website.

ā€œPresident Trump claims to be a strong proponent of freedom of speech, yet he is clearly committed to censorship of any information containing or related to LGBTQ Americans and issues that we face,” GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis said. “Todayā€™s action proves the Trump administrationā€™s goal of making it as difficult as possible for LGBTQ Americans to find federal resources or otherwise see ourselves reflected under his presidency.”

Ellis added, “Sadly for him, our community is more visible than ever; and this pathetic attempt to diminish and remove us will again prove unsuccessful.ā€

Shortly after Trump’s first presidential inauguration in 2017, the Trump-Pence administration scrubbed the White House and federal government websites of LGBTQ and HIV related content, provoking backlash from LGBTQ advocates.

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