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Hawaii is expected to allow same-sex couples to wed in the state’s capital, Honolulu, after a Supreme Court decision Monday that protects gay rights.
Hawaii Gov.
Neil Abercrombie (D) said in a statement that he plans to announce the change in the coming weeks.
Hawaii is one of three U.S. states to allow civil unions for same-gender couples, joining California and Washington.
The ruling also allows gay couples to marry, with one exception: gay couples who live in Hawaii can’t get married there without a license.
The Hawaii Supreme Court ruled Monday that same-age, heterosexual marriage is illegal in Hawaii.
That ruling has triggered widespread opposition from conservative lawmakers and a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the ban.
Since the Hawaii decision, more than 100 same-sides and same-denominational couples have filed petitions to get married in Hawaii, said John Tully, executive director of the Hawaii Civil Rights Project.
The state is currently weighing whether to issue marriage licenses to same- and opposite-sex people, Tully said.
The Supreme Court has said that gay marriage is legal, but not required.
“This ruling should give Hawaii a lot more leeway in recognizing same-as-same-sex marriage,” Tully told The Associated Press by email.
Same-sex marriages have been legal in Hawaii since 2015.
