Gay Marriage In Hawaii Legal? Legislators Propose Bill To Legalize Same-Sex Unions

Hawaii may be next on the radar of states legalizing gay marriage. Hawaii state House Democrats will meet this week to discuss the formulation of a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage. The group will discuss if it has enough backing to ensure enough votes for the bill's passage, and attempt to work out suitable language to hold strong against potential challenges in courts. Democrat Gov. Neil Abercrombie is expected to call a special session to address the issue sometime this fall.

"I think we can put together something that can achieve a solid majority, that will give us the opportunity to establish marriage equity in the state of Hawaii commensurate with the recent Supreme Court decisions, and will satisfy and resolve the issues that are presently before the appeals court on the mainland," Abercrombie said at a gathering of state Democrats. Blake Oshiro, chief of staff, is working on the language for the proposal alongside the state attorney general's office. State Senate officials told reporters that the bill is expected to have enough support to pass.

State Democrats have a huge majority in both House and Senate. Democrats occupy 24 of the 25 Senate seats and lead the way in the House with a 44-7 margin. It is up to Abercrombie, however, to initiate the special session as they lack the two-thirds vote needed to call one themselves. Thought Hawaii is largely Democrat, it has not always been friendly on the same-sex marriage issue. In 1998, it passed a resolution declaring marriage as a heterosexual union only. The legislation was partially reversed in 2011 when the state legalized civil unions between same-sex partners.