last night i went to my first public hearing for a bill.  HB908 relates to civil unions and, if passed, would give homosexual partners the same rights as married couples in the state of hawaii.

i listened to nearly four hours of testimony before i left and the hearing continued for another hour and a half after i left.

though i didn’t give testimony myself, i went because it’s an issue that i feel very strongly about and have gay friends who have been discriminated against for too long in this state and in this country.  the overwhelming majority of those who testified last night were in favor of the bill and after listening to nearly four hours of supportive testimony, if figured it was a done deal and didn’t feel the need to stay any longer.  i was wrong.

apparently, after all the testimony was given, the chair of the judiciary committee decided to defer the vote, essentially killing the bill and along with it the hopes of so many people.  the reason he gave was that there weren’t enough votes to pass the bill out of committee.  i have sources that tell a slightly different story, though for the sake of anonymity i won’t go into the details.  let me just say that i think the chairman acted like a coward.

during the course of the hearing, i was so interested and excited to be there.  while i remain largely disillusioned about the state democracy in this country, i couldn’t help but think how great the whole thing was: people from around the community coming out to speak in support of (or opposition to) a piece of seeming controversial legislation.  on the walk back to my car i felt it had been an evening well spent and was confident the bill would pass out of committee.

as i said, my confidence was clearly premature.  i learned this morning of the unfortunate events that took place after i left and i have to say i was a bit angry.  hearing the behind-the-scene details made me even more angry.  it seems to me like such the right thing to do i can’t help but struggle to understand the other side and keep referring in my mind to the civil rights movement of the 60’s.  however angry or disappointed i might be today, i can only guess how the gay and lesbian community feels right now.

to me it’s a simple question of civil rights and honestly, i equate those people who are against civil unions (or gay marriage) to those people in the 50’s and 60’s who agreed with ‘separate but equal’ for black.  they’re people who have a narrow (and i say selfish) view of life, family, values, and equality.  they’re the people who stand in the way of the equal rights because they worry about how it will effect their own life.  it may be a strong statement, but i have no respect for that kind of person.