Not to be outdone by Illinois, Hawaii just moved closer to becoming the 16th state to pass a bill in favor of marriage equality. The Hawaii House approved a bill Friday night (Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time) that now must now go back to the Senate for re-approval. Jumping on the I-state momentum, four same-sex couples in Idaho yesterday also sued for the right to marry.
The Hawaii House voted 30 to 19 in favor of the bill after more than 55 hours of testimony in committee and more hours of debate by the full House. In one of the more memorable anecdotes during the debate, Rep. Roy Takumi said that his nine-year-old granddaughter had asked if he had voted yes on the bill. “I asked her if she thought if its okay if gays got married.” She replied, “If they love each other… Love is love!”
Same-sex couples in Hawaii are raising nearly 3000 children, 1100 of whom are grandchildren, according to UCLA’s Williams Institute.
Because the House amended the bill, the state Senate will have to pass it again before it can go to Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who has said he will sign. The Senate will likely take it up this coming week, and is expected to approve it.
In Idaho, three of the four plaintiff couples are moms, adding to the numbers of us leading the fight for marriage equality across the county. Sue Latta and Traci Ehlers have two adult children and two grandchildren. Lori and Sharene Watsen have a six-month-old. Shelia Robertson and Andrea Altmayer have a four-year-old. The fourth couple, Amber Beierle and Rachael Robertson, are not moms, but Robertson is a decorated combat veteran of the Idaho Army National Guard.
