Hawaii Leap-frogs Illinois for 15th Place in Marriage Equality

After the largest amount of the most hideous, ill-informed, bigoted citizen commentary I've ever heard, Hawaii's state senate has finally approved marriage equality. The Governor will sign it this week, beating Illinois, whose Governor plans to wait until the end of the month to make it official. Hawaii will also be performing the actual ceremonies sooner, starting next month. Illinois couples will have to wait until June of next year. I've never understood why so often there is a months-long buffer between approval and officiating. Whenever the system goes against marriage equality, it always seems to be instantaneously squelched.

In any event, Hawaii's decision marks not just the 15th state (and Illinois the 16th, and in addition to Washington DC), it makes the ninth state to pass marriage equality in just over a year! It's pretty amazing stuff.

[Excerpt]
 
Hawaii is 15th state to legalize gay marriage



Hawaii was poised to become the 15th state to legalize same-sex marriage Tuesday evening after state senators sent legislation to Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s (D) desk. After a same-sex marriage bill hit legislative roadblocks earlier this year, and after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that the federal Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional, Abercrombie called the legislature back into special session to pass a compromise measure. The new version of the bill includes protections for religious officials who object to same-sex marriage. . .

Read more at: Washington Post