About 75 supporters of civil unions rallied today at the state Capitol ahead of tomorrow's Senate vote on granting same-sex couples in Hawaii that right.

The rally — which followed one by between 6,000 and 8,000 people opposed to civil unions on Sunday — was organized by Interfaith Alliance Hawaii, which includes representatives from Christian, Jewish and Buddhist faiths.

"This bill is creating division in our community that, from our perspective, is unnecessary," Interfaith Alliance Hawai'i president Rev. Dr. John R. Heidel said in a statement. "Some of those of faith oppose this bill because of their religious beliefs. We aren't here to debate those beliefs or to persuade them to change their beliefs. We affirm the concept of religious liberty and we honor and respect this free expression of belief.

"We want to assure these sisters and brothers of faith that House Bill 444 will not force them to believe or to act in any way that would be inconsistent with their belief. Within the membership of the Interfaith Alliance, we have different approaches to and understanding of civil unions and same-sex marriage."

Heidel said the alliance believes that basic legal rights granted to married couples should be granted to all couples committed to a loving relationship.

"We want to assure those who oppose civil unions that this bill will not endanger their concept of marriage or family values," he said.

The proposed bill would give same-sex partners who enter into civil unions the same rights, benefits and responsibilities under state law as married couples. It would also recognize civil unions, domestic partnerships and same-sex marriages performed in other states as civil unions in Hawaii.

In 1998, nearly 70 percent of Hawaii voters approved a constitutional amendment granting the state Legislature the power to reserve marriage for opposite-sex couples. The "defense of marriage" amendment resulted in a law banning gay marriage in Hawaii but leaving the door open for civil unions.

The amendment negated a 1993 Hawaii Supreme Court ruling that found refusing to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples was discriminatory.

Since 1998, the Legislature has considered civil unions several times, most recently in 2007, but the bills never made it out of their committees.

This year, the House Judiciary Committee passed the measure by a 12-0 vote, and the full House approved it 33-17, one vote short of the two-thirds majority needed to override a potential veto.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.