Hawaii lawmakers should hold a special session to ensure there is marriage equality in Hawaii

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Kathryn Xian, Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery
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Kathryn Xian

By Kathryn Xian – Hawaii should hold a special session to ensure there is marriage equality in Hawaii.

Homophobic messages from church groups opposing legalization create an environment among religious congregations, ripe for abuse and rejection of LGBT-identified children. It is spiritually wounding for youth, who have grown up in Christian households, to be told that God hates them because of their sexual identity.

And it is abusive when an LGBT-identified child is also rejected by his or her own family, promoted by religious homophobia. A large percentage of homeless youth are LGBT-identified, leaving them more vulnerable than their peers to homelessness, sexual exploitation, exclusion from education, poverty, drug abuse, and suicide.

Time is of the essence to prevent these harms by recreating our faith-based communities as more accepting and supportive of LGBT youth.

This is just one of the many reasons why a special legislative session on Marriage Equality is so important to the well-being of our broken community.

Not only will this send a clear message that our state is inclusive of all people regardless of their sexual identities, but that Hawaii protects the minority from the tyranny of the majority in matters of equality.



Kathryn Xian is the executive director for Girl Fest Hawaii

Comments

comments

7 COMMENTS

  1. What harm would come to the bill if it is voted upon in the regular session? While I am in support of the bill, I can't see the justification of spending tens of thousands of dollars for a session to vote on one bill. Hawaii is in financial straits as it is.

  2. it's too bad that everyone pro or against gay marriage is seeking out a government for a solution.the government will respond in the only way it can: with more rules,regulations,and more control and abusive powers of forced social engineering.more taxes.more bureaucracy. marriage equality is a leftist agenda for indoctrination,thought control, free speech suppression in spite of what they are saying.the same goes for peoplepushing heterosexual marriages and traditional family values.both sides are not morally wrong.it's just that both sides of marriage want to replace personal liberty with government control.and replace equality before the law with entitlements.please keep government out of marriges.they really have no business in your personal lives.gays and straights can then finally marry who they want in peace.

  3. Kathryn Xian,
    What's the fact of Your accusation of " spiritually wounding for youth, who have grown up in Christian households, to b be told that God hates them because of their sexual identity." ?
    Assumptions like that is iabusive language & also rejection.
    Mr Obama, however, before sworn in a couple of years ago, was invited to speak at Warren's church, despite their disagreements on a number of issues.
    You mam, are just being derogatory.

    Gov. Abercrombie 586-0034

  5. There is no such thing as marriage equality, because there will always be people who will point out the differences and raise questions and issues

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