It was the fifth defeat for a group of bills called the Common Ground Initiative that would have expanded LGBT civil rights in Utah.

Tuesday, legislation to include gays in job and housing protections was defeated and bills to allow for joint support and the creation of  a domestic partner registry also failed to gain traction.

A fifth bill which would have allowed same-sex couples to sue for wrongful death damages was defeated in a state Senate committee last month.

In addition, legislation that would have repealed a section of Utah’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage was killed by its sponsor in a bid to save the other bills.

On Sunday, a conservative group called America Forever ran full-page ads in Salt Lake City newspapers that likened gays to “druggies and hookers.” The ads  declared homosexuality is “anti-species behavior” and said that “gays should be forced not to display” their sexuality in public.

The ads were denounced by LGBT rights groups and Democrats.

Earlier this month Gov. Jon Huntsman (R) said that he supported Common Ground and was in favor of civil unions, although no civil union bill was part of the Common Ground package. Utah has a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and civil unions.

Last month, a poll commissioned by Equality Utah found that 63 percent support gay legal protections including some rights for same-sex couples.

The survey found that 62 percent believe it should be illegal to fire someone for being gay and 57 percent said it should be illegal to deny housing to someone for being gay.

On the issue of partner rights, 73 percent said they would support health insurance coverage for a partner or other designated adult for state employees. Utahans however are not ready for same-sex marriage.  Only 20 percent said they supported gay marriage.

(Honolulu, Hawaii) A bill that would give same-sex couples in Hawaii all of the rights of marriage but without the name has been approved unanimously by the House Judiciary Committee and LGBT rights groups are expressing cautious optimism it will become law.

The measure would legalize civil unions with all of the benefits, protections and responsibilities of marriage.  It also would recognize domestic partnerships formalized in other states where they are legal. Marriages from Massachusetts and Connecticut would be regarded as civil unions.

Under the legislation, same-sex couples would have to obtain a license and then have the civil union performed by a judge, a retired judge or a member of the clergy.

In 1993, the Hawaii Supreme Court was the first in the country to rule that barring same-sex marriage could be a violation of the state constitutional protection of equal rights.

In 1997, the Legislature passed a domestic partner law allowing gay couples to register with the state Department of Health. It allowed couples to have rights as reciprocal beneficiaries in hospital visitations, inheritance and property, and the ability to sue for wrongful death.

But in 1998, as calls for same-sex marriage increased, nearly 70 percent of Hawaii voters passed a constitutional amendment giving the legislature the power to reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples.

The committee hearing room was packed Thursday night for a hearing on the bill. Opponents of the measure, said the bill was a veiled attempt to skirt the amendment.

“[It] attempts to circumvent the will of the people by authorizing the equivalent to same-sex marriage,” Lt. Gov. James Aiona told committee members.

But Kim Coco Iwamoto, a member of the state school board, told the committee that denying civil marriages to same-sex couples was a “a blatant injustice.”

The civil bill has the support of the Hawaii Democratic Party,  the state AFL-CIO and the Hawaii Government Employees Association. Opposing it are the Hawaii Catholic Conference and the Hawaii Family Forum.

The legislation now advances to a vote next week before the full house, where 32 out of 51 members already have announced they will support the measure. It  would then move on to the state Senate.

Both bills are sponsored by Sen. Ed Murray and Rep. Jamie Pedersen, both Democrats and openly gay.

The marriage bill is unlikely to advance this year, but Pedersen said he hoped it would lay the groundwork for the future. The expansion of domestic partnership law has a more likely chance of succeeding.

The original 2007 law provided inheritance rights when there is no will, hospital visitation rights and the ability to authorize autopsies and organ donations.

The law was expanded last year to add rights in the areas of community property, guardianship and powers of attorney. It would allow partners the right to refuse to testify against partners in court. And it provides the same remedies as married couples have in ending a relationship including the division of property.

The new provisions adds pension and public employee benefit rights for same-sex couples.

“Although we view this as an improvement that provides real and concrete protections to same-sex partners, it’s an inadequate substitute for marriage,” Pedersen told The Spokesman Review. “Our hope is that the continuing success of this legislation helps people understand what marriage is, and that it gets them more comfortable with treating all families with equality dignity and respect.”

But Pedersen concedes that implementing some parts of the bill may have to wait until the economic situation improves.

Since July 2007 when the original domestic partner law went into effect, 4,940 couples have registered as domestic partners.

Under the law, partners must be 18 or order and not already married or in a domestic relationship with someone else. The law also requires that couples share a home and be financially dependent up one another. It also allows opposite-sex couples to register if one partner is at least 62 years old.

New York

Forty years of Republican rule in the New York state Senate came to an end in November with Democrats now in control of both houses in the Legislature and the governor’s mansion.

But whether that is enough to see a marriage equality bill enacted in the Empire State remains unknown.

A bill that would allow same-sex couples to marry in New York passed the Democrat-controlled Assembly last year, but Republicans who then controlled the Senate refused to consider the legislation.

At least three Democratic Senators say that when the bill is reintroduced this year, they will vote against it. That could be enough to defeat the bill.

In 2006, the New York Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, ruled that same-sex couples do not have a constitutional right to marry. It said that the issue, however, could be taken up by the Legislature.

Gov. David Paterson has said he would sign the measure if it passes.

Last year, Paterson issued an executive order recognizing the marriages of same-sex couples who were married in areas where they are legal. That has resulted in a large number of gay and lesbian couples going to Connecticut, Massachusetts or Canada to wed and then returning to New York to have the marriages recognized.

New Jersey

New Jersey also could see passage of equal marriage legislation.

In 2006, the state Supreme Court ruled same-sex couples must have all the rights of marriage.

The Court gave the New Jersey State Legislature 180 days to act on the decision to grant same-sex couples the rights and benefits enjoyed by different-sex married couples, but left it up to the legislators to decide whether to call it marriage or civil unions.

The legislature opted for civil unions. But that, said civil rights groups, amounted to a situation that was separate but equal.

A commission established by the state to study same-sex civil unions in New Jersey agreed with that argument.

The commission held three public hearings last year at which the majority of the testimony came from people who were in civil unions who said they were still not being treated the way married couples are by government agencies, employers and others.

For instance, the commission found that many companies in the state that are self-insured – and therefore are regulated by federal, rather than state, law – refuse to provide health insurance to the partners of their employees.

A bill to allow for same-sex marriage was filed in the last session of the New Jersey legislature but gained little support in an election year from either House or Senate leaders. With a new legislature the bill is expected to be refiled and Garden State Equality believes it will have a strong chance of passage.

Gov. Jon Corzine has said he would sign a marriage bill if it were passed.

New Hampshire

There is a strong likelihood a gay marriage bill will pass in New Hampshire.

Rep. Jim Splaine, who sponsored the state’s civil unions law, said he believes there will be enough votes to pass his same-sex marriage bill.

But state Republicans not only oppose the marriage bill, they say they will bring in legislation that repeal the civil union law that went into effect last January.

Vermont

Vermont was the first state in the country to legalize civil unions in 2000.

An 11-member commission was set up by the leaders of the Vermont House and Senate, both Democrats, to look into Vermont’s civil unions law to see if it is providing equality for gay and lesbian couples.

It submitted its report to the legislature last April, but made no recommendations on revising the law to allow for same-sex marriage.

The legislature is expected to consider a bill this year that would amend the state’s civil union law to provide for full marriage.

Gov. Jim Douglas has said he would veto the bill if it passes.

Two other states also are likely to have marriage equality bills: Rhode Island and Maryland.

A bill to allow same-sex marriage was filed in the Maryland legislature last year but failed to gain traction. It is expected to be refiled in the new session but its fate is unknown. Legislation is also expected in Rhode Island.

Other States

In the state of Washington, lawmakers this year will consider adding new rights and obligations to the 2007 Domestic Partner law. It already covers areas such as hospital visitation rights among the 200 rights offered to same-sex couples and opposite-sex coupled seniors.

Openly gay Sen. Ed Murray (D-Seattle) says he thinks it still is too early to push for full marriage rights but believes that can be achieved in increments.

He is proposing adding pension and parenting rights and tax obligations. His draft already covers 1900 pages.

The New Mexico legislature will consider a domestic partner registry in the new session. It would allow any two people who live together in a committed and economically dependent relationship to register.

Both same and opposite-sex couples would be allowed to register with county clerks. The legislation would provide few direct benefits but could be used as proof of a relationship for benefits at private companies that have domestic partner insurance plans for their workers.

Several other states will take up bills expanding human rights laws to include members of the LGBT communities.