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 2018.

During the 1960s and onwards, LGBTQ people entered into the public eye, which was followed by multiple pro-LGBT rights reforms, including the repeal of the sodomy law.

In modern times, Hawaii is notable for its LGBTQ-friendliness, with several establishments, accommodations, and festivals catering especially for gay tourists and couples.

[4] Prior to European contact, same-sex relationships existed in the form of aikāne, an accepted tradition for both men and women in pre-colonial Hawaiian society.

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.

In the 1922 case of Territory v. Wilson, the Hawaii Supreme Court unanimously ruled that fellatio (oral sex) was a "crime against nature".

[5] On September 9, 2013, Governor Neil Abercrombie announced that he was calling the Hawaii State Legislature into a special session on October 28 to consider a same-sex marriage bill.

[21] Hawaii established reciprocal beneficiary relationships, a limited form of civil unions, for both same-sex and opposite-sex couples in 1997.

[27] Hawaii law explicitly prohibits discrimination based on both sexual orientation and gender identity or expression in employment, public accommodations and housing.

The law ensures students are not denied access to programs or extracurricular activities because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

[31][32] In June 2022, 3 bills were signed into law by the Governor of Hawaii - namely (1) jury selections can not legally discriminate against individuals on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, (2) setting up a state based LGBTIQ+ commission, and (3) mandatory state based health insurance coverage for sexual reassignment surgery on transgender individuals.

[33] Hawaii has a law that addresses hate crime protection for both actual and/or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.

According to the statute: Previously, Hawaii's Department of Health issued a new birth certificate to a post-operative transgender person only upon receipt of a physician's affidavit verifying that the registrant had undergone sex reassignment surgery.

[36] On May 5, 2015, the Hawaii Legislature passed a bill to allow transgender people to change the gender marker on official identification documents without undergoing such surgery.

[42][43][44] In May 2022, a bill passed the Hawaii Legislature that would explicitly now include transgender individuals within health insurance planning - with an "emergency clause" (effective immediately upon signature into law).

[43][48][49] In 2023, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved and implemented new blood donation rules to allow and permit gay and bi men - on the condition of being monogamous.

[51] A 2017 Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) opinion poll found that 68% of Hawaii residents supported same-sex marriage, while 20% opposed it and 12% were unsure.

[4] The same poll also found that 74% of Hawaii residents supported an anti-discrimination law covering sexual orientation and gender identity, while 13% were opposed.