{"id":1375,"date":"2013-09-15T10:54:00","date_gmt":"2013-09-15T10:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dreamweddingshawaii.com\/?p=1375"},"modified":"2018-03-14T01:56:33","modified_gmt":"2018-03-14T01:56:33","slug":"gay-marriage-weddings-oahu-hawaii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dreamweddingshawaii.com\/gay-marriage-weddings-oahu-hawaii\/","title":{"rendered":"Governor Calls Special Session on Gay Marriage"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n
<\/a>My first same-sex couple in 2008<\/strong><\/p>\n Hawaii Governor, Neil Abercrombie, has called a special legislative session in the State of Hawaii to legalize same-sex marriage. \u00a0Here in Hawaii, same-sex couples (and heterosexual couples), can already legally unite through civil-unions. \u00a0Yes, you read that correct, a heterosexual couple can opt to unite under civil marriage laws, rather than normal marriage laws as well. \u00a0Uniting under a civil union rather than marriage is advantageous to a couple who wants to protect their assets. \u00a0Since civil union divorce is not one that is regularly processed through the courts, a spouse may not be automatically be entitled to their estranged partners equity.<\/p>\n “No one knows really understands how to process a civl-union divorce. \u00a0It’s new, there are a lot of things we don’t understand”, an unnamed attorney told me.<\/p>\n Governor Abercrombie stated that the reason he chose to call\u00a0a special session this year rather than waiting for Hawaii’s regular legislative session next year was “because of implications on taxes for this year.”<\/p>\n Some married couples that are dual income, and file jointly, undergo a marriage penalty tax. \u00a0To avoid these penalties, couples file separately. \u00a0 But how does a couple who is joined in a civil-union file their taxes for their State and Federal? \u00a0Civil-unions are not recognized in all 50 States, and the Federal Government doesn’t recognize them at all. \u00a0The truth is even if a civil-union couple is united under the term of marriage here in Hawaii, will other States recognize their marriage as legit? \u00a0 And what about the Federal Government? \u00a0The Fed’s don’t recognize civil-unions or same-sex marriages at all.<\/p>\n It’s a mess.<\/p>\nSAME-SEX MARRIAGE MAY SOON BECOME LEGAL IN HAWAII<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n