Thursday, July 08, 2010
Advocates: Don’t boycott Hawaii, donate!
by Larry Geller
With Governor Linda Lingle’s veto of the civil unions bill HB444, a new battle for equality begins in Hawaii.
Some LGBT advocates and others (the bill would have benefitted the many senior citizens in Hawaii living together regardless of gender, for example) urge donations instead of a boycott.
The veto positions Hawaii as the next battleground for civil rights. From the gubernatorial race through the next legislative session, advocates will square off with the religious right. It will be a battle fueled by money, and while churches opposed to equal rights can pass the hat on Sunday, advocates don’t have that kind of access to cash.
Here’s a quick list sent to me by email. As time goes on, there may be more suggestions.
ACLU Hawaii (about to file a lawsuit)
In addition, emails warn that candidates for office in this year’s election have been targeted for their endorsement of HB444 and could use support. Those include Neil Abercrombie (gov), Gary Hooser (Lt. gov), and legislator Blake Oshiro. All three have been endorsed by the LGBT Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii!, and all three will face big money attacks before election day.
Post a Comment
Requiring those Captcha codes at least temporarily, in the hopes that it quells the flood of comment spam I've been receiving.