Civil Unions Come To Hawaii

It becomes the seventh state to adopt them. Doug Mataconis reflects:

In many ways, the debate over same-sex marriage began fifteen years ago in Hawaii, when the state’s Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage. Voters responded by becoming the first state to outlaw same-sex marriage,  and the case also set off a nationwide debate that resulted in passage of the Defense of Marriage Act. So in many ways, with yesterday’s decision by the Obama Administration to not appeal the DOMA cases and this development in Hawaii, the gay marriage debate has come full circle. This time, though, its moving in the opposite direction.

Meanwhile, Maryland is on the cusp of getting marriage equality.