[JURIST] The Hawaii House of Representatives voted 31-20 Thursday to approve legislation allowing same-sex civil unions. The act would confer upon homosexual and heterosexual couples rights and benefits equal to those afforded married couples in the state. The bill was approved by the Senate in January, but the House vote was postponed indefinitely. The bill will now go before Governor Linda Lingle (R), who has not yet indicated whether she will sign it into law. She has until July 6 to reach a decision.
The state of Hawaii has been at the forefront of the gay rights movement since the 1990s. In 1993, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that the state must show a compelling reason to deny same-sex marriage, but, in 1998, Hawaiian voters approved an amendment to the state constitution to reserve for the state legislature the authority to define marriage. Same-sex marriage is currently legal in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, and New Hampshire, and Washington DC, pending Congressional inaction. Same-sex civil unions are currently recognized in Washington, New Jersey, Oregon, and Nevada.