Civil Unions Recognized in Hawaii

Lisa Seese and Amanda Patterson exchange vows at Loulu Palm Estate on the North Shore, on January 7. The couple was one of 78 who received civil union licenses in January, the first month in which the State of Hawaii recognized civil unions, granting same-sex and opposite-sex couples the same rights as married couples. “We were already planning to get married before they passed this new law, so it was exciting news for us,” says Seese, who has been with Patterson for two years. “These strides are amazing, but it’s also a bit ridiculous that we have to think of simple things like this as strides.”