Civil-union supporters made door-to-door visits at the state Capitol yesterday in a last-minute pitch to push state representatives to vote on a bill they tabled early in the legislative session that will end Thursday.

The small delegation of gay and straight proponents of House Bill 444 was a marked contrast to rallies staged by opponents of the bill who brought busloads of demonstrators to the Capitol courtyard.

“;There is broad mainstream support for families like ours,”; said Tambry Young, a leader of Equality Hawaii. She and her partner, Suzanne King, and their daughter, Skylar, 10, distributed brochures with dozens of photographs of civil-union supporters, people who have signed on at the website equality808.com.

“;We want the legislators to see us not as a group, but as individuals who are concerned about having their rights,”; King said. “;It is important for us to show them that people are affected by their action. No one is hurt by this bill. It strengthens families.”;

The delegation visited offices of 33 state representatives who voted for civil unions in the 2009 session. When a similar bill, approved by the Senate, was returned for another House vote in January, House Speaker Calvin Say took a voice vote to “;indefinitely postpone”; action on the bill in this election year.

The civil-union backers had to leave their messages with lawmakers' office staffers because House Democrats were in an afternoon caucus. But late in their rounds, Young and King found Rep. John Mizuno (D, Kalihi Valley) at work. It was a “;passionate”; exchange of views, said Mizuno, who voted against Bill 444.

“;I told them, 'I don't think you have the votes to bring it back,'”; he said.

He proposed a summer “;summit”; at which people on both sides of the civil-unions issue could meet and discuss differences.

“;Lawmakers should set it up and then stand back to listen,”; Mizuno said. “;It wouldn't be good for lawmakers to try to move one side or the other.”;

Catholic Bishop Larry Silva also made a end-time pitch on behalf of the opposition. In a letter delivered yesterday to senators as well as House members, Silva commended them for not passing Bill 444. He emphasized the importance of marriage between a man and a woman as “;a human institution that goes beyond all religious affiliations.”;

“;While gay and lesbian people have every right to enjoy safety and dignity, the claim to a 'civil right' to marriage is a manufactured claim that should not be allowed to take hold of our society,”; Silva wrote.

Karina Villarroel and her son, Diego, 3, trooped along from office to office to give support.

“;My husband and I will raise our son up to respect everybody,”; said Villarroel, a naturalized citizen originally from Argentina. “;I believe this country gives freedom to everyone and the same rights for all. It isn't fair that some people can't have the same rights.”;

DeDe Young, whose story is told in the “;Family Portraits”; photographic brochure distributed to lawmakers, said the civil-union issue takes her back to the 1960s, when she met Benji Young when they attended a small Tennessee college.

“;My husband is Chinese Hawaiian. When we planned to get married, my parents, professors and clergymen told us it was God's will that the races do not mix,”; Young said. “;We experienced prejudice in 13 states that did not recognize our marriage.”;