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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHawaii becomes 15th U.S. state to legalize gay marriage
HONOLULU (Reuters) - Hawaii's governor signed into law on Wednesday a bill extending marriage rights to same-sex couples, capping 20 years of legal and political rancor in a state regarded as a pioneer in advancing the cause of gay matrimony.
The new law, which takes effect on December 2, makes Hawaii the 15th U.S. state to legalize nuptials for gay and lesbian couples, rolling back a 1994 statute defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
"In Hawaii, we are all minorities, and we all deserve the same aloha," state Representative Chris Lee, a leading proponent of the measure, said before Governor Neil Abercrombie signed the bill.
Abercrombie said that despite misgivings by opponents who felt their religious beliefs were infringed, the measure served the "greater good" by more fully embracing gay and lesbian members of society, who had long felt marginalized
http://news.yahoo.com/hawaii-governor-signs-law-legalizing-same-sex-marriage-210011391.html
The link is from Yahoo, so I don't recommend reading the comments.
Scuba
(53,475 posts)Tarheel_Dem
(31,241 posts)committ and be treated like everyone else, but the impact on the Hawaiian tourism economy will probably explode. Congrats again, Hawaii!