In an excerpt, members debated the rule for legislation which would define marriage and allow states not to recognize same-gender marriages. The bill would also define marriage, for federal purposes, as “only a legal union between one man and one woman.” Currently same-gender marriages are not legal in any state, although the Hawaii Supreme Court recently ruled that denying marriage to gay couples may violate equal protection. Reps. Studds and Frank, who previously had declared their homosexuality, spoke in opposition to the legislation.