Hawaii's state legislature is considering a marriage equality bill next week, which could force churches in this destination wedding hotspot to make a tough choice (tough if you don't like equality, anyway). State law prohibits churches that make a profit on ceremonies from discriminating in who can participate in those ceremonies. For some churches, that would mean conducting same-sex weddings or
leaving a lot of cash on the table:
Last year, about 1.45 million Japanese tourists visited Hawaii, and a significant fraction of them came to get married or attend a wedding. The Central Union church in Honolulu, for example, conducts about fifty wedding ceremonies a month, most of them destination weddings.
Many churches in Hawaii rely heavily on the income from these wedding ceremonies to keep themselves running. Renting one of Central Union’s venues costs $1,800 (among other add-on options, a harpist is available for another $200).
Central Union isn't sure what it will do, but for churches that know they will discriminate and refuse to marry some couples, meaning they can't profit from any, all you can really say is "Boo hoo. I hope you lose a lot of money." Here's hoping Hawaii's legislature passes marriage equality and makes this choice happen.