“I don’t know what to say. Finally, Hawaii becomes the aloha state once again,” said civil unions supporter Kamuela Kaahanui.
“I feel that it was such a privilege that it was his [Abercrombie’s] actual first bill that he signed as governor,” said supporter Cocoa Chandalier.
“It’s about time. It’s required convincing and putting aside the fears of hundreds of thousands of people in Hawaii,” said civil unions supporter Hannah Miyamoto.
A similar measure made it through both the state House and Senate last year, but then-Gov. Linda Lingle, a Republican, vetoed the bill, saying at the time it was “essentially marriage by another name.”
See a video of the signing ceremony below: