Lawmaker changes mind about session on gay marriage

State Rep. Denny Coffman, who had urged House leaders against quickly moving a gay marriage bill in special session, said Thursday that he now favors a special session.

Coffman issued a statement declaring that his support for marriage equality is unwavering and that he was not aware that House leadership has been working with Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s office and the state Attorney General’s office on draft legislation.

House sources had feared that Coffman’s initial hesitation, expressed in a memo to House Speaker Joseph Souki on Wednesday, could cause other supporters of gay marriage to have second thoughts about a special session.

House leaders are in the process of counting votes and could inform the governor about the numbers as soon as next week.

Coffman had urged Souki to form a special committee to analyze a gay marriage bill that lawmakers could fast-track during the regular session that opens in January.

"The primary concern I wanted to express in my memo is that the Legislature must perform its due diligence in addressing this important issue," Coffman (D, Naalehu-Captain Cook-Keauhou), said in the statement Thursday.

"I wanted to ensure that the necessary resources and processes were utilized to develop a sound and sustainable policy. Knowing that our highest levels of government are actively working to craft and vet such a bill gives me confidence that my concern has been addressed."

Meanwhile, Bishop Larry Silva, the Catholic leader of the Diocese of Honolulu, sent an urgent letter to all Catholics Thursday asking them to contact their state lawmakers and oppose gay marriage.

"To discriminate between heterosexual and same-sex couples regarding marriage is not, despite the hype on the streets, unjust discrimination," Silva wrote. "If same-sex marriage becomes the law of the land, its implications will go far beyond the relationship of this or that couple. There will be long-term and definitive changes in our entire culture. If same-sex marriage becomes the law it will become ‘normal’ or the norm for our land."