With same-sex marriage now legal in California, some local residents are hoping to see big changes in Hawai'i. And while the ethical debate rages on, some are now turning to economic arguments to help make their point.

Legalizing gay marriage "affects everyone down the line — florists, caterers, the food industry. It'll have a ripple effect on the economy and that's something California picked up on right away," said Carolyn Golojuch, president of gay-interest group PFLAG-Oahu.

"The gay market has the highest disposable income of any market," said Janet Renner, founder and president of Hawai'i Gay Weddings. Legalizing gay marriage here "would be a saving grace" for our troubled economy, she said.

The company is just one of several around the Islands that cater to gay and lesbian customers. It serves couples who wish to participate in commitment ceremonies, though their unions are not recognized under Hawai'i law.

Renner believes the California rulings will have a slight impact on her business, which serves about 25 same-sex couples every year.

"It's going to draw customers away," she said. "When it happened in San Francisco, it was the same thing."

For larger companies in the industry, the impact may be more severe. Aloha Maui Gay Weddings serves 150 to 175 same-sex couples per year, according to president Fay Hovey.

Hovey, like Renner, believes that legalizing gay marriage makes sense on both a moral and an economic level.

"It's in accordance with the open attitude we enjoy here in the Islands," she said. For Hovey, the economic benefits are an added plus.

Meanwhile, opponents of gay marriage say they do not believe Hawai'i will follow in the Golden State's example, economic benefit or not.

The push to legalize same-sex marriage in Hawai'i gained momentum in the 1990s but was held off by a state constitutional amendment in November 1998. The amendment, which received 70 percent of the vote in the general election, limits marriage to unions between a man and woman.

With this amendment in place, same-sex marriages performed in other states will not be legally recognized in Hawai'i, said Attorney General Mark Bennett.

In the future, "somebody may challenge that, and that might be an issue courts will have to decide," Bennett said.

"The people of Hawai'i have already spoken on this issue. They had the final word in 1998," said state Sen. Mike Gabbard, D-19th (Kapolei, Makakilo, Waikele), who was a newsmaker as an opponent of same-sex marriage in the 1990s.

Gabbard, founder and chairman of the Alliance for Traditional Marriage, notes that a 2007 House bill that sought to legalize same-sex civil unions in Hawai'i was voted down by legislators.

Nevertheless, he said the California rulings have raised some eyebrows within the coalition of people who opposed same-sex marriage in the '90s.

"We're monitoring it very closely," Gabbard said.

And supporters, inspired by the California rulings, are hoping for a rematch.

"It's a new day for these people who have lived in the shadow of disrespect," said Golojuch, whose son is gay. "California legalizing gay marriage has given us hope again."

Not all gay marriage supporters share Golojuch's optimism. Ward Stewart, who was involved in the same-sex marriage effort of the 1990s, is skeptical that laws will change in Hawai'i.

Stewart believes that Hawai'i is "deadlocked" with regard to gay rights.

"There is a lot to be done in Hawai'i," he said. "The battle has moved to New York, Massachusetts and California, where there are deeper pockets."

In October 2003, Stewart, 78, married his longtime partner, George Vye, in Canada, where same-sex marriages are legally recognized. They have been together for 52 years.

Stewart expects some local same-sex couples will fly to California to get married, either to make a political statement or with the intention of starting a new life there.

Kehau Amorin, special projects manager for Panda Travel, believes local couples will go to California to wed. Panda Travel has set up a Web site called Hawai'i Gay Travel, which helps travelers coordinate their vacation plans with gay events and gay-friendly hotels.

In the wake of the California ruling, Amorin said Panda may put together a California travel package for gay couples. Same-sex couples "do travel, and they travel often," Amorin said.