The Hawaii Senate on Tuesday approved a
bill that would ban discrimination based on gender identity
(transgender protections) in the areas of employment, housing and
public accommodations. The House previously approved a similar
measure.
“The march towards full equality in
the Aloha State continues,” said Alan Spector, co-chair of Equality
Hawaii. “Providing employment protections to transgender citizens
in Hawaii is a victory for civil rights and equal treatment under the
law for all residents of our great state.”
The Senate voted to approve the
legislation with an overwhelming 22 to 2 vote.
The
win comes on the heels of the defeat of a similar bill in the
Maryland Senate.
Former Governor Linda Lingle, a
Republican, had vetoed an identical bill six years ago. Last year,
she also vetoed a civil unions bill signed into law this year by
Democratic Governor Neil Abercrombie.
“Following the passage of civil
unions for Hawaii's gay and lesbian residents, the enactment of
employment protections for the state's transgender people is another
step forward in our fight towards equality in the Aloha State,”
said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the
nation's largest gay rights advocate. “No one should be denied
employment possibilities because of who they are, regardless of their
gender identity or expression.”