Date: Wed, 31 Jul 96 09:32:41 HST
From: ramsey@math.hawaii.edu (Tom Ramsey)
Subject: HAWAII JULY 31

	      DAN FOLEY FILES BRIEF WITH HAWAII'S SUPREME COURT,
		OPPOSING THE REQUEST OF EIGHT LEGISLATORS TO
		    TO BE CO-DEFENDANTS WITH THE STATE

	As if preparing for the September "compelling state interest"
arguments in Circuit Court were not enough, the request by 8 Hawaii
legislators to be co-defendants with the state has reached the Hawaii
Supreme Court (their request was denied by the Circuit Court, and that
denial has been appealed).  Dan Foley filed his brief for Hawaii's
Supreme Court last week.

	Does this seem like "deja vu all over again"? It is!  Last year,
it was the same team of lawyers opposing us with the same requests to
be co-defendants on behalf of some Mormon leaders.  These groundless
requests and frivolous suits wasted plenty of h.e.r.m.p's limited resources
but produced one important Hawaii Supreme Court ruling:  definitively,
unambiguously, churches will not and cannot be forced to perform same-
gender marriages.

	There was never much doubt about the rights of churches to dis-
criminate---after all the Catholic Church does not recognize most second
marriages, even though the divorce and re-marriage are valid under civil
law.  Yet, the Mormons broadcase endless propaganda and recruited allies
by asserting that ministers would have to perform same-gender marriages
or lose their state licenses to marry people.

	Having gotten nowhere in 1995 with making Mormons co-defendants,
the same legal team now is making the same request on behalf of 8 legislators.
In the beginning of 1996, they had a new team member:  Pat Robertson's
legal beagle, Jay Sekulow.  Somehow, Sekulow has taken his name off the
latest appeal.  We wish we could say that it was a change of heart; more
likely, it was the serious risk that the request be judged frivolous and
some damages awarded to h.e.r.m.p  Sekulow's local allies made several
technical mistakes in Sekulow's application to appear before Hawaii courts,
which may have frightened him as well.


					Best Regards,
					Tom Ramsey
					Co-coordinator, h.e.r.m.p


P. S.  Here are some of the players and organizations in Hawaii whose
primary focus is on same gender marriage and which work closely with
h.e.r.m.p:

h.e.r.m.p:  the ONLY organization paying the legal fees of Dan
            Foley, the attorney who is in charge of the case
            with Evan Wolfson and Kirk Cashmere as co-counsels.
	    h.e.r.m.p was created when the three plaintiff couples
	    came to the Gay and Lesbian Community Center in 1993
            for help in raising funds to pay the legal expenses
	    (they had to distance themselves from an earlier
	    organizational structure).  Donations to h.e.r.m.p
	    are fully tax-deductible and can be made to GLCC-HERMP,
            1521 Alexander St., #503, Honolulu, HI 96822.  h.e.r.m.p
	    currently owes Dan Foley about $20,000, with the
	    bills mounting rapidly over the next three months.

Friends of h.e.r.m.p:  an organization parallel to h.e.r.m.p to
           handle the NON-tax-deductible public education and
           media work.  The address is PO BOX 11690, Honolulu, HI
           96828.  They have recently launched a 900-number, for
           donations of between $5 and $25:  1-900-97-MARRY.

Alliance for Equal Rights:  this political action group predates
           h.e.r.m.p considerably.  It played a strong role in
           getting Hawaii's law that bans discrimination in employment
           (with Leon Rouse as the lobbyist for that).  It's top
           priority is the support of legislative candidates who
	   support same gender marrige, but it can't give money
           directly to the candidate's election campaigns.  The
           address is 2139 Chamberlain Street, Honolulu, HI 96822.

The Equality Fund:  an organization parallel to the Alliance, which
           is a registered PAC giving money directly to legislative
           candidates.  The address is PO BOX 11690, Honolulu, HI 96828.
           
The following national organizations endorse h.e.r.m.p and Friends
of h.e.r.m.p (with its 900-number):

ASTREA NATIONAL LESBIAN ACTION FOUNDATION
GAY AND LESBIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
GAY/LESBIAN/STRAIGHT TEACHERS NETWORK
HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN
LAMBDA LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATION FUND
NATIONAL BLACK GAY AND LESBIAN LEADERSHIP FORUM
NATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN TASK FORCE
PARENTS AND FRIENDS OF LESBIANS AND GAYS
DEAF QUEER RESOURCE CENTER
NEW YORK FREEDOM TO MARRY

Indexing terms:  same gender marriage, same-gender marriage, gay marriage,
                 same sex marriage, same-sex marriage, queer marriage,
		 civil marriage rights, right to civil marriage,
		 gay rights, civil rights for gays and lesbians,
	         gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, queer