Upon graduating in 1971, he secured a job in the Hawaii Department of Health before founding a social services organization for gay people called the Sexual Identity Center.

He mounted an unsuccessful campaign for a seat in the Hawaii Senate in 1974, the first of many failed attempts to be elected to a state-level political position.

After another unsuccessful campaign for the Board of Education in 1984, Woods was named to the Mayor's Advisory Committee on AIDS in 1985, and also served as president of a University of Hawaiʻi alumni group from 1985 to 1987.

In 1990, Woods brought three same-sex couples to the Hawaii Department of Health's main office in Honolulu to fill out marriage licenses.

When the licenses were not issued, the couples filed a lawsuit with Woods's support, initiating Baehr v. Miike, an important case in the development of legal same-sex marriage in the United States.

At UH, Woods earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology,[1] graduating in 1971;[4] he later received a master's degree in public health from the university.

[4] In 1972, he founded a social services organization called the Sexual Identity Center; it was intended to serve gay people specifically, but the name did not contain a reference to homosexuality because he did not want to deter straight experts from being involved.

[8] Woods campaigned on a platform of increased regulation for social service organizations, better controls on the conduct of government officials, and stricter rules for expenditure of public funds.

[10] At the time, Woods described his campaign as "very low key", and stated that he was seeking the support of groups rather than canvassing because of a lack of funding.

[15] The following month, the Star-Bulletin published an article written by Woods in which he agreed that "homosexuals are made, not born" and that "individuals who desire, may change to heterosexual activities".

The resulting organization, Moral Majority of Hawaii, ran newspaper advertisements proclaiming support for "family planning, civil rights for all people, pro-choice in abortion, child care programs, freedom of speech and religion, and the separation of church and state.

"[5] The group sued Falwell in the Hawaii state circuit court to restrain him from using the name "Moral Majority",[24][25] causing speaking venues he had reserved to cancel his appearances.

[24] He returned to Virginia after delivering a farewell speech in which it was noted that the only two names mentioned were those of Jesus Christ and William Woods.

In response to a petition by conservative Christians including the Moral Majority and the Christian Coalition to cancel the show in June 1981, Woods stated that Lambda Line was the only radio program in Hawaii that presented "the many diverse and realistic perspectives of gay people", and the Sexual Identity Center announced plans for a counter-petition in support of the show.

[32] The following month he wrote a letter to the Advertiser praising a recent article for its candid discussion of safe sex practices which could serve to prevent the disease.

[38] On December 17, 1990, Woods brought three same-sex couples to the Hawaii Department of Health's main office in Honolulu to fill out marriage licenses.

[5] The couples were Ninia Baehr and Genora Dancel, Patrick Lagon and Joseph Melillo, and Antoinette Pregil and Tammy Rodrigues.

[40] When the law was passed by the state legislature near the end of that month and sent to then-governor John D. Waiheʻe III for his signature, Woods celebrated the passage of what he described as a bill he had been personally supporting since 1973.

The Hawaii Organization for Political Empowerment (HOPE), a political action committee focused on gay and lesbian issues, responded with a press release describing Woods as a "self-appointed gay-community spokesperson" who in reality "speaks only for himself", and asserting that in the future HOPE would serve to represent the gay community in Hawaii instead.

[45] Woods was indicted on felony charges in July 1992 for allegedly stealing money from the Hawaii AIDS Task Group and using it for both home improvements and personal health insurance.

A trial was held in March 1994 after Woods was charged with theft for his use of Task Group funds to pay for his health insurance,[48] but he was found not guilty.

[49] In June 1994, Woods and Honolulu Weekly writer Marc Thompson visited the Hawaii Department of Health office and attempted to get a marriage license.

Upon being told that their license would remain pending until the outcome of Baehr v. Miike became clear, the two men announced that they planned to hold a wedding ceremony anyway, and that they would do so the following day just before the start of the local pride parade.

[50] They did so, holding a non-religious ceremony at Ala Moana Beach Park, and subsequently rode at the rear of the parade in a BMW with a sign that read "Just Married".

The money was returned, and Woods called for an investigation,[58] which the state Campaign Spending Commission began in early March.

[59] In April, three more complaints by Woods were investigated: he claimed that retail group DFS Hawaii had donated more than the permissible $1,000 to the committee's fundraiser, that a lobbying group's hosting of the event amounted to an illegal amount of non-cash donation, and that author Stephen Covey violated state law by speaking for free at the event when he normally charged $60,000 (equivalent to $112,200 in 2023) for his appearances.

[1][63] Bateman, an operations manager, lived with Woods in Honolulu; the two held a reception at the Halekulani hotel in November of that year.