Democrats should maintain ‘big tent’

Many leaders in Hawaii’s Democratic Party take pride in the party’s "big tent," which allows for a wide divergence of views among members.

A party panel’s call to punish two state legislators who represent Kapolei and Makakilo for introducing a constitutional amendment on traditional marriage in the last legislative session has been an unfortunate departure from that policy.

Oahu Democrats should reject such a demand for rigid adherence of the party’s platform by politicians elected to represent their constituents.

Since the 1993 state Supreme Court ruled that the same-sex marriage ban violated the state Constitution, the issue has been crossing party lines, largely because of religious beliefs. While Democrats have been in lopsided control of the Legislature, the issue of same-sex civil unions or marriage has been closely argued.

Recognizing the disagreement on that issue, the Democratic Party agreed in 2007 for longtime Republican Sen. Mike Gabbard, a leading opponent of gay marriage, to switch parties. Two years later, Gabbard’s new party censured him for violating the platform by actively working against the civil-unions bill. In 2010, he was among five Democrats who voted against civil unions. Democratic Rep. Sharon Har, sharing Gabbard’s constituency and conforming with her longtime view of the issue, was among 16 Democrats who cast votes against the bill.

One of Gabbard’s and Har’s constituents is Michael Golojuch Jr., chairman of the Democratic Party’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender caucus, who filed complaints about Gabbard and Har in February. A three-member investigative panel of the party assigned to review the complaints has recommended that Har be censured and Gabbard be reprimanded, a more serious sanction, because of what might be seen as his second offense, alluding to his 2009 activity against civil unions.

Har said in an email that "moving the complaint forward sets a dangerous precedent for the DPH (Democratic Party of Hawaii) in that it now allows any member of the DPH to file a complaint against a legislator in furtherance of a personal vendetta in the name of the party and the platform," a reference to neighbor Golojuch.

As gay rights have gained acceptance in recent years, same-sex marriage has become increasingly acceptable, especially after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last month that legally married gay couples are entitled to federal benefits. The issue is surfacing in the race between U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz and challenger U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, both of whom now support gay marriage after having supported "traditional marriage" in the past.

Hawaii Democratic leaders are looking to legalize same-sex marriage in next year’s session of the Legislature and should accept the fact that it remains controversial within the party. By welcoming Gabbard six years ago with knowledge of his social conservatism, the party placed tent stakes that cannot easily be moved.