Date: Fri, 7 Jun 96 15:26:49 HST
From: ramsey@math.hawaii.edu (Tom Ramsey)
Subject: HAWAII JUNE 7

			CHECK OUT THIS HERMP WEBSITE

	http://www.xq.com/hermp/  has the latest updates on the Hawaii
Equal Rights Marriage Project.  Click on the wedding cake for the updates.
Other websites, with different and useful emphases, are apprended below.

	Confidential media sources have told h.e.r.m.p that the opponents of
same gender marriage are launching a massive TV ad campaign in Hawaii, starting
in July.  The cost of this new ad campaign is three times greater than h.e.r.m.p's
entire budget for 1995.

	Why July?  We're not sure.  The governor and legislature are jockeying
over whether to have a special session of the legislature in July.  The governor
was on the radio this morning, slamming the President of the Senate for not
being able to get the Senate together on the special session.  The session
is supposed to focus on insurance matters (a big issue in Hawaii), but opponents
of same gender marriage are working non-stop to get same-gender marriage on
the agenda.

	More seriously, Hawaii will vote in November on WHETHER to have a 
constitutional convention.  This is an automatic every-ten-year vote.  In
1976 the vote was "yes" and in 1986 "no".  The opponents of same-gender marriage
may be launching this media campaign to get a "yes" vote.  This opens yet another
avenue for disenfranchising gays and lesbians.

	The Republican state convention has come and gone:  they are on record
as opposed to same-gender marriage.  However, they did elect (through ignorance?)
two delegates to the national convention who support same-gender marriage.  One
Republican legislator, Eve Anderson, voted AGAINST the constitutional amendment
in the Hawaii House (one of 14 no's versus 37 yes's).  She's being targeted
from the right and the left in her district, where she has served one term.

	Most interestingly, the leading Republican contender for Honolulu's
Congressional seat is Orson Swindle.  Swindle is against same-gender marriage
but says that he can't be anti-gay because his half-brother is gay.  This phenomenon
is actually quite common here in Hawaii.  Newt Gingrich is not alone.

	Last night on the dance floor at Hula's Bar and Lei Stand, a sultry-eyed
seduction machine sported a David Fasi T-shirt from the 1994 campaign, when David
Fasi ran unsuccessfully against one of the gay communities most outspoken defenders, 
Rep. Jim Shon.  David's father, the former mayor Frank Fasi, has taken the low-road of
fag-baiting full time for the last two years and is running for mayor this fall.
David Fasi himself is running against Senator Brian Kanno out in Ewa.  Kanno voted
"no" on the constitutional amendment which would have banned same-gender marriage. 
So much for political consciousness!


					Best Regards,


					Tom Ramsey
					Hawaii Equal Rights Marriage Project


Other WEB sites:
http://www.qrd.org/qrd/orgs/hermp/
http://www.tnight.com/hermp/
http://www.qrd.org/qrd/usa/hawaii/marriage.update/
The latter is provided by a BBS, which also provides BBS access
to HERMP messages: Tropical Night BBS (808) 235-5558
telnet:bbs.tnight.com

 
For the official report of the Commission on Sexual Orientation and
the Law:
http://www.hawaii.gov/lrb/solcvr.html
 
For legal documents related to Baehr v. Lewin (now Baehr v. Miike):
http://www.qrd.org/qrd/www/legal/
which has a link to marriage and Baehr v. Lewin

 
For national as well as Hawaii information:
http://nether.net/~rod/html/sub/marriage.html
http://www.well.com/user/davadam/hermp.html
http://www.eskimo.com/~demian/partners.html