This is Planet Money from NPR.

Back in the 90s, Jeff Hanks and ambitious software engineer living in Los Angeles, working

for Microsoft, living the life.

His job was to find and work with Microsoft's latest clients.

So I would go off from place to place helping people build fairly large systems.

So say the Disney stores need back-end software or Citibank needed to improve their online

banking, Jeff would help them build those systems.

And then after a few years, I convinced my corporate masters that we should open an office

in Hawaii.

Don't we all want to open offices in Hawaii?

But for Jeff, Hawaii is home.

I was born in Hawaii.

I grew up here.

My family celebrated over 100 years of being here in Hawaii.

And moving back, put them somewhat closer to another important part of his life.

I met a boy who lived in Sydney.

And so that's kind of far.

Yeah, like Australia far.

They date long distance, fall in love, and they want to live in the same place.

But back then, same-sex marriage wasn't permitted in Hawaii.

It was very difficult because of the way that the laws were structured at the time to be

able to have him come to Hawaii.

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