Same-sex sexual activity has been legal since ; Hawaii being one of the first six states to legalize it. Additionally, Hawaii law prohibits discrimination on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity , and the use of conversion therapy on minors has been banned since July Gay and lesbian couples enjoy the same rights, benefits and treatment as opposite-sex couples, including the right to marry and adopt. Same-sex relationships have been part of Hawaiian culture for centuries.
The Christian missionaries, who arrived in the 19th century, were adept in converting the local population to Christianity. As a result, the first ever anti-gay law was enacted in , prohibiting sodomy with 20 years hard labor. In modern times, Hawaii is notable for its LGBTQ-friendliness, with several establishments, accommodations, and festivals catering especially for gay tourists and couples.
The religious missionaries converted the local Hawaiians to Christianity and spread their moral ideals to the population, resulting in the introduction of negative attitudes towards homosexuality.
Although the first specific sodomy law in Hawaii was enacted in , statutes passed in allowed villages to prosecute "any particular evils" against which no law existed. It punished both heterosexual and homosexual conduct, and applied to consensual adults as well.
The first recorded sodomy case occurred in in the case of Republic of Hawaii v. In the case of Territory v. Wilson , the Hawaii Supreme Court unanimously ruled that fellatio oral sex was a "crime against nature". The last recorded sodomy case happened in , in Territory v. Bell , in which the state Supreme Court unanimously confirmed that heterosexual sodomy was also a criminal offense.
