Governor Vetoes Gay Marriage Ban

Gov. Gary Locke vetoed a bill banning same-sex marriages, calling it “divisive and unnecessary.” Leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature said they would try to override the Democratic governor’s veto. If they failed, they vowed to place a referendum on gay marriage on the November ballot. The vetoed measure defined marriage solely as a union between a man and a woman. As in many other states, legislative action was prompted out of concern that courts in Hawaii may legalize gay and lesbian marriages.