Hawaii lawmakers vote to legalize same-sex unions

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — For Mina Meyer and Sharon Raphael, two women in their 70s who fell in love more than four decades ago and have been married for more than four years, the U.S. Supreme Court's pending consideration of a law that prohibits the federal government from recognizing unions like theirs is about more than civil rights.

The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing two huge gay marriage cases next week. One of those cases will focus on Proposition 8, a voter-approved law banning gay marriage in California.

The Obama administration proposed a weird (and kind of clever) argument for legalizing gay marriage that would effectively legalize it in eight more states.

Lawmakers in Illinois and Rhode Island are set to consider same-sex marriage bills early this year, which could make them the 10th and 11th states to bring marriage equality to their residents.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Hundreds of jubilant gay-rights advocates celebrated at New Zealand’s Parliament on Wednesday as the country became the 13th in the world and the first in the Asia-Pacific region to legalize same-sex marriage. Lawmakers voted 77 to 44 in favor of the gay-marriage bill on its third and final reading.

Concluding two days of intense debate, the Supreme Court signaled Wednesday it could give a boost to same-sex marriage by striking down the federal law that denies legally married gay spouses a wide range of benefits offered to other couples. As the court wrapped up its remarkable arguments over gay marriage in America, a majority of the justices indicated they will invalidate part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act – if they can get past procedural problems similar to those that appeared to mark Tuesday’s case over California’s ban on same-sex marriage.

Illinois became the 12th US state to extend legal recognition to same-sex couples Monday after its governor signed a law allowing for civil unions.The law stops short of allowing gays and lesbians to get married, but grants them the same legal rights as heterosexual couples."Today is an important day in the history of our state because today we are showing the world that the people of Illinois believe in equality for all," Governor Pat Quinn said after signing the legislation into law.

DETROIT (AP) — A lesbian couple's desire to adopt each other's children has grown into a potentially groundbreaking challenge to Michigan's ban on same-sex marriage.