Hawaii’s Governor Signs 3 New Pro-LGBTQ Laws

Hawaii’s Governor David Ige recently announced on Instagram the signing of three new bills designed to help protect LGBTQ people in Hawaii. Adrian Tam, Hawaii’s first out elected official, says at the signing, “My hope is that we send a strong message across the nation that, while some states are looking backward, Hawaii will continue to move forward.”

Tam’s statement is a pretty explicit call out to other states who have pushed forward anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ legislation over the past year and hopefully will inspire other states to continue pushing forward with protections for queer people.

Governor Ige outlined what each of the bills will cover in his statement on Instagram. The first bill relates to insurance and states that “insurance providers will be prohibited from excluding gender-affirming treatments when medically necessary and will require health plans to provide information on gender transition services.”

The second bill is designed to prevent queer people from being dismissed from serving on a jury. The governor described it as a “measure signed to ensure gender identity or expression cannot be a reason for excluding a citizen from jury service (making sure discrimination plays no part in our legal system).”

The final bill signed by the governor establishes a permanent state commission of LGBTQ individuals. Governor Ige says, “Collectively, these three bills are critical in supporting the LGBTQ+ members in our communities. They will help us identify social and community issues more effectively and ensure that we can work to prevent discrimination in many areas of our society.”

Governor Ige has a history of supporting and signing pro-LGBTQ laws. Back in 2019, the governor was involved in the passage of laws that outlawed the gay and trans panic defenses and allowed applicants for driver’s licenses to identify their gender with an X, rather than being forced into the male/female binary.

Photo courtesy of GovHawaii Instagram