Gov. Abercrombie to sign civil union bill at 7pm Eastern tonight; different-sex couples included

The modern era of the movement for access to marriage for same-sex couples began in Hawaii in 1993. Of that there is no doubt. That year the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that the state's ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional sex discrimination under the Hawaii state constitution. The court sent the case back to the trial court and instructed the state to justify the exclusion by proving

Hawaii civil union bill creates equal rights for same-sex and different-sex couples

The Hawaii legislature took everyone by surprise last week when it approved the creation of civil unions in the state. The gay press generally reported the development as approval of civil unions for same-sex couples, but that's not what the legislation does; it approves civil unions for any two unrelated adults who are not in another civil union, a marriage, or a reciprocal beneficiary