Timothy at Box Turtle Bulletin has some interesting news about marriage equality in Hawaii. But first a little trip down memory lane: the supreme court in Hawaii was the first to find that denying marriage rights to gays and lesbians was unconstitutional—way, way back in 1993. The court didn't order the state marriage to start issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples; instead it sent the case back to a lower court and gave the state one last chance to make its discriminatory case. But conservatives forces put an anti-gay marriage amendment to Hawaii's constitution on the ballot, voters approved it, and the supreme court's ruling was essentially voided. BTB:

But unlike the amendments that followed, this constitutional change did not ban same-sex marriage; rather, it stated “The legislature shall have the power to reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples.”

And so they did... But the amendment also allows the legislature to change its mind and no longer reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples. And the AP is reporting that the legislature is likely to consider just such a move this spring.

The AP lists three items on the agenda for Hawaiian lawmakers this session: legalizing gambling, recognizing gay marriage, and preserving Hawaiian lands. Says BTB...

Hawaii, whose economy relies to a large extent on tourism, is feeling the economic crunch. Let’s hope that the legislature, which is almost unanimously Democratic, will decide that becoming a gay wedding destination spot could be a way to simultaneously advance personal liberties and help the financial condition of the state.

Yes, let's hope. But Hawaiian legislators wouldn't just be advancing personal liberties and helping out the state's ailing tourism industry if they legalized same-sex marriage this session. They would also be making the delightful "Hawaiian Wedding Song" from Howard Crabtree's When Pigs Fly relevant again. That number, written for the hit 1996 Off Broadway musical review, looked forward to the imminent legalization of same-sex marriage in Hawaii. The state's anti-gay marriage amendment was approved during the show's run and it curdled the number. Most subsequent productions of When Pigs Fly have omitted it. It was just a little insult—well, an insult for us musical theater queens anyway—heaped on top of the injury of the amendment itself.

I wish I could find a version of the song on You Tube, or that I knew how to work this Interwebs well enough to post the song—I'm listening to it now—but here are some of the lyrics.

I wanna walk down the aisle on an island,
And take vows with lots of aa-oo-ee vowels,
Where tropical wedding showers
Bring gifts of his-and-his matching towels,

I wanna see all our friends and family
On a beach by Hana Bay.
They're all gonna fly in
For our Hawaiian
Wedding Day!