Bill Would Benefit Same-Sex Couples

A bill that would give same-sex couples some of the rights of married couples but not allow them to actually wed was approved in Honolulu by the state House. The 41-4 vote in favor came hours before more than 3,000 supporters of a ban on same-sex marriages held a raucous demonstration outside the the Capitol. It also followed the House’s passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would undo state court rulings allowing same-sex marriages. Both measures will go to the state Senate.