LGBT rights in Hawaii

LGBT rights in Hawaii
Hawaii (US)
Status	Legal since 1973 (Legislative repeal)
Gender identity	Transgender people allowed to change gender
Discrimination protections	Both sexual orientation and gender identity and expression (see below)
Family rights
Recognition of relationships	Same-sex marriage since 2013; Civil unions since 2012; Reciprocal beneficiary relationships since 1997
Adoption	Both joint and stepchild adoption

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the U.S. state of Hawaii enjoy the same rights as non-LGBT people. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal since 1973; Hawaii being one of the first six states to legalize it. In 1993, a ruling by the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court made Hawaii the first state to consider legalizing same-sex marriage.^[1] Following the approval of the Hawaii Marriage Equality Act in November 2013, same-sex couples have been allowed to marry on the islands. Additionally, Hawaii law prohibits discrimination on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity, and the use of conversion therapy on minors has been banned since July 2018. Gay and lesbian couples enjoy the same rights, benefits and treatment as opposite-sex couples, including the right to marry and adopt.^[2]

Same-sex relationships have been part of Hawaiian culture for centuries. The term aikāne refers to homosexual or bisexual relationships, which were widely accepted in pre-colonial Hawaiian society, and the term māhū refers to a "third gender" alongside male and female. The Christian missionaries, who arrived in the 19th century, were adept in converting the local population to Christianity. As a result, the first ever anti-gay law was enacted in 1850, prohibiting sodomy with 20 years hard labor. During the 1960s and onwards, LGBT people entered into the public eye, which was followed by multiple pro-LGBT rights reforms, including the repeal of the sodomy law.

In modern times, Hawaii is notable for its LGBT-friendliness, with several establishments, accommodations, and festivals catering especially for gay tourists and couples.^[3] Recent opinion polls have found that LGBT rights enjoy high levels of support, with a 2019 survey by the Public Religion Research Institute showing that 73% of Hawaiʻi residents supported anti-discrimination legislation protecting LGBT people.^[4]