|
Candidate to marry
gay partner
KEAAU, Hawaii >> Dennis Triglia, 50, a Big Island candidate for the state House of Representatives, announced yesterday that he will fly to Canada to marry his gay partner of nearly nine years.
Triglia's marriage to Richard Charboneau is set for Aug. 28 at Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, he said.
Gay marriage has been legal in British Columbia and other parts of Canada since last year.
Triglia is a Libertarian candidate for the Puna district. He will face the winner of the primary election race between incumbent Democrat Helene Hale and Democratic challenger Gerard Silva. Also running is Republican Brian Jordan.
Triglia is a research biologist studying mosquito-borne diseases that threaten native rain-forest birds, according to his Web site, www.dennistriglia.com.
Since 1997, Hawaii has had a "reciprocal benefits" law that grants some of the benefits of marriage, but not all, to any two people, not necessarily gay, who cannot legally be married here.
"It's time for Hawaii to either issue civil marriage licenses to same-gender couples or get out of the marriage licensing business altogether," Triglia said. "British Columbia justly provides for same-sex marriages, so is equality under the law too much to ask for in our own native country?"
