Senate Seeks Ban on Same-Sex Marriage

Hawaii’s Senate called for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages while approving a new law that would give gay and lesbian couples many of the benefits of married heterosexuals. The first bill would allow Hawaiians to vote in 1998 on a constitutional amendment giving the state the power to approve only opposite-sex marriages, as long as the marriage laws don’t discriminate on the basis of gender. Supporters said that qualification would be satisfied by the second bill, which spells out the marriage-like benefits for which same-sex couples would be eligible.