Queer n There	Queer n There Archive

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If any US state legalizes gay marriage first, it's likely to be Hawaii. If the Aloha state does inaugurate homosexual matrimony, then gay couples from all over are likely to flock to the islands for their nuptials. Please don't, urges the Hawaii Gay Liberation Program, a project of the American Friends Service Committee, in a statement that rips the leis right off the necks of lovestruck queer couplets. The Quaker group says it fully understands the desire to celebrate gay relationships. It's just, they insist, that tourism exploits Hawaii's fragile ecology and underprivileged native population, which has seen its numbers, health, and land holdings decline since a holiday stopover by a certain Captain Cook. Though only 1.2 million people live on Hawaii, the islands carry the weight of some eight million tourists every year. "Tourism does not benefit the Kanaka Maoli, poor people, or the intricate and beautiful ecosystems of Hawaii," the AFSC says. "It expropriates, caricatures, and degrades Kanaka Maoli culture and spirituality." If the lure of Hawaii is irresistible, however, the ever-earnest Quakers invite you to "use your spiritual imaginations and political skills to envision ways in which planning personal journeys can... deconstruct colonial attitudes and behaviors." Hey, solve those attitude problems and your new marriage should get a boost, too. For more info, browse to www.afsc.org.