State Rep. Mark Takai announced Tuesday that he will be joining the majority in the House and voting in favor of a marriage equality bill in the coming weeks. 

Gov. Neil Abercrombie has ordered the Legislature into special session Oct. 28 so lawmakers can consider a bill that would give same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual couples.

Takai said leadership is about making tough calls, and today he stands firm in his: “There are no good reasons to continue to prevent every Hawaii resident from exercising his or her right to marry the person he or she loves.”

Takai, who is running for Congress, bucked the majority in 2011 when he voted against civil unions. 

But he and other lawmakers are changing their tune to be in line with the majority of Americans who now support marriage equality.

“I have wrestled with my thoughts, my values, my faith and what I believe to be the best way forward. The world has changed – and so have I,” Takai said in a statement Tuesday.

— Nathan Eagle

Rep. Mark Takai stands outside the Capitol, Aug. 7, 2013. (Civil Beat file)