Hawaii Passes Same-Sex Marriage

Now gay couples can have the same tropical-destination weddings as the everyone else. On Wednesday, Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed a bill legalizing gay marriage in the state. The state's senate passed a same-sex marriage bill by 19 to 4 votes Tuesday. "I've always been proud to have been born in Hawaii and today's vote makes me even prouder," President Obama said in a statement. Gay couples and tourists will be allowed to start marrying on Dec. 2, and it is expected to give a $217 million boost to the tourist industry in the next three years. "This is nothing more than the expansion of aloha in Hawaii," said Sen. J. Kalani English.