Hawaii Senate Passes HB 546!

I mentioned HB 546 in a previous TransGriot post.   It's a bill that would ban trans workplace discrimination in Hawaii and had passed in the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 3-2 vote.

Well, it did much better once it got to the Senate floor.    The Hawaii Senate passed HB 546 on a 22-2 vote.   It already passed in the Hawaii House by a similarly lopsided 42-4 margin.

The legislation prohibits employment discrimination based on gender identity and expression and adds the  protections to the employment section of Hawaii's nondiscrimination law.    That law already covers housing and public accommodation discrimination based on gender identity and expression.

The good news is that unlike the previous GOP governor, Gov. Neil Abercrombie (D) is expected to sign it.