Hawaii legalizes gay marriage

GlobalPost

Hawaii legalized same-sex marriage on Wednesday, after Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed a bill passed by the state's senate on Tuesday into law.

The law is expected to take effect Dec. 2, making Hawaii the 15th US state to legalize gay marriage.

"I look forward to signing this significant piece of legislation, which provides marriage equity and fully recognizes and protects religious freedoms," Abercrombie, a Democrat, said on Tuesday.

The bill passed the state senate with a 19-4 vote, and supporters in the galleries and outside the Capitol building cheered and danced in celebration, according to Reuters. Even Hawaiian-born President Barack Obama celebrated the vote.

"I've always been proud to have been born in Hawaii, and today's vote makes me even prouder," Obama, who is the first US president to support gay marriage while still in office, said in a White House statement.

"Whenever freedom and equality are affirmed, our country becomes stronger," he added. "By giving loving gay and lesbian couples the right to marry if they choose, Hawaii exemplifies the values we hold dear as a nation."

Many have observed the bill is likely to earn Hawaii — a popular wedding and vacation spot — millions of extra dollars. University of Hawaii researchers believe the bill will increase tourism and bring in an added income of about $217 million in three years, the BBC reported.

Hawaii isn't the only US state to recently pass a same-sex marriage bill. Illinois legalized gay marriage earlier this month, and its Governor Pat Quinn is expected to sign the measure into law on Nov. 20.

These two victories for same-sex couples and those who support their rights come after the Supreme Court repealed in June the Defense of Marriage Act, which had prevented gay couples benefitting from the same rights as heterosexual couples.

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