In a highly anticipated announcement, Hawaii’s Governor Linda Lingle vetoed the civil union bill, as the definition of a union it contains was too similar to that of marriage.  The law would have allowed gay and lesbian-identified couples the same rights and privileges of married couples. In her veto message, Lingle stated that an issue as contentious as this should not be up to one person to decide. The liberal blog, Huffington Post, had promoted this decision as “mission critical,” so this announcement was a devastating blow to gay activists. They immediately called for a boycott.  Twenty-two legislators broke into […]

On June 30, Rhode Island Governor Don Carcieri vetoed a bill designed to expand the state’s definition of a hate crime to include “gender identity” and “gender expression.” The governor said the state’s existing law already addresses actions “motivated by racial, religious, sexual orientation, gender, and disability prejudice;” therefore, the measure was not required.  Caleb H. Price, an analyst for CitizenLink, commended Carcieri for seeing beyond Current Events and for understanding the long-term implications not only for marriage, but also for those struggling with gender confusion. “Those who struggle with gender confusion,” Price said, “deserve our compassion and understanding–not laws […]