Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie on
Wednesday signed a bill into law that offers gay and lesbian couples
benefits and responsibilities nearly identical to those of marriage,
the Honolulu Star Advertiser reported.
“This signing today of this measure
says to all of the world that they are welcome. That everyone is a
brother or sister here in paradise,” Abercrombie said in remarks
before singing the bill into law.
“The legalization of civil unions in
Hawaii represent in my mind equal rights for all people,” he added.
The Hawaii Senate gave final approval
to the measure last Wednesday.
Lawmakers approved a nearly identical
bill last year, but then-Governor Linda Lingle, a Republican, vetoed
the measure after much public hand-wringing on the issue.
“It's a sad day for the people of
Hawaii,” Senator Mike Gabbard, a former Republican who switched to
the Democratic Party in 2007, told the paper.
The Hawaii Catholic Conference, which
had strongly opposed the bill, also expressed disappointment:
“Passage of this legislation is just a step towards the
legalization of same-sex marriage.”
Hawaii becomes the third state to offer
the union behind New Jersey and Illinois, whose
governor signed a similar measure into law last month. Civil
unions are also up for debate in Colorado and possibly
Delaware.