Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie says
he understands why a lesbian lawmaker voted against a gay marriage
bill.
State Rep. Jo Jordan's vote last week
against the marriage bill Abercrombie championed and ultimately
signed into law on Wednesday made her the first openly gay lawmaker
to vote against such legislation.
Jordan said on the Hawaii House floor
that she felt the bill's religious exemptions were too narrow.
“I'm not held to any specific
conviction but I do have certain beliefs that I hold near and dear.
And in this process I have been shown so much love by a community I
thought hated me,” Jordan tearfully told colleagues on the House
floor. “And I found so much hate in a community that I thought
embraced me. See Mr. Speaker, I have no hate for them.”
Later she added: “I'm sorry to the
GLTB community. I walked in this place three years ago asking my
community, I don't want to be the poster child. I've become the
poster child. And I accept that.”
Appearing on SiriusXM
Progress, Abercrombie described Jordan, whom he appointed, as “a
lonely voice in this.”
“I understand it. I disagree with
her. She had her reservations about [the bill] sufficient to cause
her to vote no. And I'm going to take her at her word. My job now
is not to seek retribution or go over the validity of what the
motivation was for people's votes, but to work with them all,”
Abercrombie said