Is the Bluest of States Bleeding Red?

Mark Quezada

On July 6, the day the Hawaii civil unions bill was vetoed, the fifth floor of the State Capitol was awash in a sea of pearl. The opponents of House Bill 444, who congregated outside the governor's executive chambers, all wore white.

Other manifestations of faith were evident as well. Some opponents — gathered there that day by Hawaii Family Forum, a Christian socio-political advocacy group aligned with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu — prayed fervently and sang spiritual songs, while others fell to their knees and lifted their arms in worship.

As the appointed hour of 3 p.m. neared — counted down by a ticking clock on the governor's own website — the ivory flock swelled in size, soon dwarfing the rainbow-clad proponents of HB 444 who held court on the ground floor Rotunda five floors below.

When the veto announcement came, some shouted, "Hallelujah!"

And so it was that in an ostensibly liberal state — where Democrats control nearly every lever of power, where the color on the quadrennial electoral map is as blue as the Pacific — Hawaii once again denied full spousal rights and benefits for gays and lesbians.

This in a state that actually launched the gay-marriage movement 20 years ago, and that was a pioneer in establishing abortion rights, pre-paid health care and equal rights for women four decades ago.

Is the national red tide washing over Hawaii?

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