Final answer:
Hawaii's Supreme Court ruling in Baehr v. Lewin was significant as it recognized same-sex couples' right to marry, leading to national discussions and the enactment of DOMA. This created a platform for further legal challenges, culminating in the legalization of same-sex marriage across the U.S. with Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to the video Same-Sex Marriage, Hawaii's Supreme Court ruling in the case of Baehr v. Lewin (1996) was a milestone in the debate over same-sex marriage because it led to the state's recognition of same-sex couples’ right to marry. However, the decision faced significant backlash, prompting Congress to pass the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defined marriage at the federal level as between a man and a woman and denied federal benefits to same-sex couples.
The Hawaii State Supreme Court ruling was a turning point in LGBTQ+ civil rights. Although this ruling itself was ultimately nullified in Hawaii due to a state constitutional amendment, it sparked a national movement on both sides of the issue, leading to legal battles and, eventually, the recognition of same-sex marriage rights throughout the United States following the Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015.