Lesbian Couple Sues Hawaii For Marriage
A lesbian couple has filed suit against Hawaii, claiming that next month's legalization of civil unions denies them their full rights. The suit names gay-friendly Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who signed the civil unions bill, as a defendant.
"Civil union doesn't do, it just doesn't do the same thing," said Janin Kleid, Plaintiff. The couple has not been in contact with any of the gay and lesbian organizations and is filing the lawsuit on their own. Their attorney John D'Amato argues the state law reserving marriage to only heterosexual couples is discriminatory and violates the 14th amendment. He says it would not require another constitutional amendment to change the law. "It would just require a judge to look at that law and say yeah plaintiffs you're right it does violate your rights to due process and equal protection under the federal constitution," said D'Amato. "The state's denying Janin and Natasha the right to marry deprives them of a fundamental right and is unjustly discriminatory."It should be noted that the couple is acting without the advice or assistance of LGBT rights groups, who typically have carefully charted strategic timelines for such actions.
Labels: Hawaii, lawsuits, marriage equality