To Take Action on Issues You Care About
Imagine if Trump wins again…
Now imagine a big BlueWave this November…
Join Rep. Tokuda, her guest Rep. Susie Lee of Nevada, and fellow activists to develop our 264 day plan to the Trifecta Win. We cannot let Trump and MAGA Republicans win.
When: Thursday February 15th 5:30PM to 6:30PM
Where: over zoom (register to receive your own zoom link)
Emailbluewave@indivisiblehawaii.org if you have questions for Rep Tokuda and/or Rep Lee.
Help us get 3 LGBTQIA+ Bills Passed by Our Legislature Now!
Aloha everyone,
Last year, Indivisible Hawaii formed a group to focus on LGBTQIA+ rights. Why? We took a look at what was happening nationwide and even in Hawaii to LGBTQ people.
Reports of discrimination against LGBTQ people are constant and growing in number. The ACLU is currently tracking 411 anti-LGBTQ bills pending across the nation. Nine of those are pending right now in Hawaii to restrict LGBTQ rights. Five seek transgender sports bans. The rest want to curtail school curricula, impose healthcare restrictions, and so forth. (Go to Mapping Attacks on LGBTQ Rights in U.S. State Legislatures in 2024 | American Civil Liberties Union (aclu.org) You can click on each bill listed by the ACLU and read it.)
The good news is, some of our legislators are proposing alternative legislation to protect LGBTQ rights. We are focusing on three bills this session. When they come up for hearing, we will be asking you to send messages of support to the legislature. It will make a huge difference in getting these bills passed if the legislators can see that a lot of people support them. Here are the bills with links to each of them:
– On same sex marriage: Hawaii’s Constitution, in Article I Sec. 23, still reads: “The legislature shall have the power to reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples.” SB2884 and HB2080 jointly propose a constitutional amendment to change this section to instead read: “The right to marriage shall not be denied or abridged by the State on account of race or sex.” Many of us have family, friends and loved ones in same sex marriages. Same sex marriage has been legal for years. The existing version of Sec. 23 has no place in our state constitution. And in these difficult political times, adding protection for interracial marriages is also prudent. To read this bill and check its status, go here: Measure Status (hawaii.gov)
– On school curriculum: Schools and libraries across the country are under pressure to restrict what they make available to students and readers. While no one disagrees that sensible, age appropriate limits exist, the restrictions being advocated across the country target basic American truths and freedoms, including the history of racism in the United States and the freedom of each of us to choose the way and with whom we live. SB2883 and HB2078 jointly would make it a discriminatory practice to exclude books/curricular materials simply because they address topics related to race, color, ancestry, sex (including gender identity, expression or orientation), religion or disability, or are written by individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning their sexuality. To read this bill and check its status, go here: SB2883_.PDF (hawaii.gov)
– On due process protections: Hawaii’s constitution prohibits discrimination because of race, religion, sex or ancestry. When the Supreme Court over-ruled Roe v. Wade, it threw many rights we take for granted into question. SB3351 proposes an amendment to our State constitution to add protections based on ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, and with reference to discrimination based on sex, to include “sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, and pregnancy outcomes.” To read this bill and check its status, go here: Measure Status (hawaii.gov)
Watch for emails to come from us, letting you know when these bills come up for hearing!
To learn more about diversity in Hawaiian culture and the respect, acceptance and inclusion for all, go to https://kapaemahu.com/. Be sure to watch the documentary at https://www.pbs.org/search/?q=kapaemahu , an amazing film about the Kapaemahu Stones in Waikiki and the history of LGBTQ rights in Hawaii.
Remember, we need you!
A hui hou,
Diana
Please contact me at lgbtqia@indivisiblehawaii.org if you have any questions.
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