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Lambda Legal Celebrates First Day of Marriage in Hawai'i: Releases Marriage FAQ

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December 2, 2013
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Today, same-sex couples in Hawai'i begin to marry.

Twenty years and 16 states later the movement for equality and freedom for same-sex couples and their families has come a long way since the modern marriage movement began here in Hawai'i. It is a beautiful and joyous day in Hawai'i where same-sex couples can enjoy, on fully equal footing, inclusion and protection under the law and respect for their families. Hawai'i’s journey sparked the national conversation about fairness for same-sex couples and their families in 1991. We are proud to have worked alongside many advocates and community leaders to see this wedding day arrive. From representing couples seeking the freedom to marry in the 1990s, to litigation and legislative work for civil unions, to the bill drafting assistance we provided this year, Lambda Legal is honored to have served this community through twenty years of intense collaborations to this goal. And now, thanks to the leadership provided by loving couples, civic leaders, and the beautiful 'ohana that is this community, we celebrate together the fast-growing number of states where same-sex couples can marry, now numbering 16, together with our Nation’s capital. Today Hawai'i truly is the Aloha State.

Read our FAQ: Hawai'i Marriage Law.

Because we know that many families will have questions about what the new marriage law means for them, Lambda Legal, Equality Hawai'i, and the Hawai'i LGBT Legal Association have created a Hawai'i Marriage FAQ.

Lambda Legal is proud to have worked closely with state advocates and officials to craft this law. We congratulate the tireless community leaders and allies who fought hard for its passage, and thank the steadfast elected officials and their dedicated staff who made possible this victory for love and fairness.Thanks in significant part to the early leadership provided here, nearly 4 in 10 LGBT Americans now live in a state permitting same-sex couples to marry, and close to half live in a state allowing marriage or an alternate family status for same-sex couples. Mahalo nui loa to everyone that helped bring us to this day.

In addition to consulting on the Hawai'i marriage law, Lambda Legal attorneys worked closely with state advocates and officials on the successful marriage legislation this year in Delaware and Minnesota, and most recently in Illinois. And same-sex couples now enjoy the freedom to marry in New Jersey as well due to Lambda Legal’s litigation victory this fall in Garden State Equality v. Dow.

Read the press release.

Lambda Legal is grateful to the Anita May Rosenstein Foundation for partially funding the work of the Law and Policy Project.