In what he shared may likely be his final public appearance as Hawai'i's chief executive, Gov. Neil Abercrombie bid an emotional farwell to LGBT supporters at the Equality Hawai'i Foundation Gala 2014: Boas & Bow Ties.
Gov. Abercrombie was presented the inaugural Justice Steven H. Levinson Trailblazer Award by Justice Levinson himself, in an emotional exchange. Levinson wrote the nation's first ever appellate decision ruling an anti-gay state marriage law unconstitutional.
Twenty years after the ruling that sparked the international marriage equality movement, Gov. Abercrombie called a special legislative session where marriage equality was passed and signed the measure into law.
Preventing bullying in Hawaii schools and working toward passage of key federal civil rights legislation are top priorities of Hawaii's LGBTQA community, according to survey results released by Equality Hawaii.
Fielded June 6-13, the 2014 Equality Hawaii Community Survey drew 329 responses, both from online participants and Pride attendees. The survey marked the first time that
Hawaii's LGBTQA community has been queried about issue priorities since the enactment of the state's marriage equality law went into effect last December.
Survey participants identified three priorities from a list of 15 issues now that marriage equality was law. Bullying prevention was listed by 55 percent of the respondents while the passage of federal legislation such as the Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA) was selected by 39 perecent.
