In Hawaii, the LGBT laws have been evolving for the past hundred years. In the pre-19th century, the influence of Polynesian culture led to a more open-minded state. After the first Christian missionaries began arriving in Hawaii, strict sodomy laws were enacted. Territory v. Bell (1958) was the last sodomy case argued in Hawaii. After the turn of the 20th century, LGBT issues began being taken to and decided by the Supreme Court. In 2013, Hawaii voted in favor of gay marriage, and marriage licenses began to be issued to LGBT couples. Pre-19th century In the Polynesian culture, which had spread to Hawaii, the māhū were classified as a third gender of person alongside male and female persons. Aikāne relationships were widely practiced and accepted by precolonial Hawaiian society. 19th century The first Christian missionaries to arrive in Hawaii were adept at encouraging locals and officials to convert to Christianity and observe Christian morality, succeeding in converting Kamehameha III. Under Kamehameha III, the Blue Laws were enacted in 1833, prohibiting a number of activities which were common to the Hawaiian population. A set of three statutes enacted in 1844 would criminalize vagrancy, lewdness and undefined crimes. An explicit sodomy law was enacted in 1850, punishing offenders with a fine of up to $1,000 and confinement at hard labor for up to 20 years. Eventually, an 1876 law allowed trial juries to convict offenders of assault to commit sodomy if actual sodomy could not be proven. The first reported sodomy trial case before the Hawaii Supreme Court (by this time under the Republican government), Republic of Hawaii v. Edwards (1898), resulted in a conviction. 20th century However, in 1900's Ex Parte Edwards, the defendant from the prior trial was ordered to be released by the Territorial Supreme Court, as his prior trial under the Republican government had taken place without an indictment, as was required by U.S. law. Numerous convictions would be upheld by the Supreme Court for the first few decades of the 20th century. The 1949 "disorderly conduct" law enacted in the Territory also prohibited solicitation or loitering of same-sex sexual favors in public places. 1950–1969 In 1958, the last reported Supreme Court case of sodomy in Hawaii, Territory v. Bell, held that persons of the opposite sex could also be convicted for the offense of sodomy. 1970–1989 In 1972, the criminal code was substantially revised. Among other things,