As LGBTQ+ youth across the U.S. continue to face higher rates of mental health challenges and substance use, community-based organizations (CBOs) are playing an increasingly vital role in providing safe, supportive spaces. Yet, despite their growing importance, these organizations remain largely understudied.

A new study published in the is helping to change that. The research “Community Efforts to Support LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health: Programs Objectives, Development, and Delivery,” was a collaboration among the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz�, the University of Maryland School of Public Health and the University of Connecticut.

Researchers conducted in-depth interviews with staff from 16 CBOs across the nation that work with LGBTQ+ youth, identifying how these groups develop and deliver mental health services.

“At a time when LGBTQ+ youth face increased discrimination, stigma and health disparities compared to other groups, it is critical that they have access to supportive, affirming community spaces that celebrate their identities and foster inclusion, connection and well-being,” said co-author Danielle Phillips, assistant professor of social work at the at ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�.

How community groups make a difference

The study found that CBOs support youth through four main strategies:

• Offering counseling and therapy
• Creating safe spaces and fostering community
• Providing case management services
• Delivering educational resources

Effective service delivery depended on strong planning and coordination, inclusive and intersectional practices, access to training and curriculum tools, and capacity-building resources.

Greater investment in CBOs needed

Despite their vital role, the study noted that many CBOs remain underfunded and overstretched. Researchers stress that with greater investment, these organizations could significantly expand their reach and impact.

“Community-based organizations that support LGBTQ+ youth consistently face a lack of funding, and it continues to be a serious concern that will directly impact the availability, delivery and quality of mental health services,” said Phillips. “We are at a pivotal moment in our collective experience, where it has never been more urgent to prioritize, support, and protect vulnerable youth. Securing sustainable funding is a crucial part of ensuring that communities can continue to offer safe and inclusive programs for youth who need it most.”

As director of the at the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz�, Camaron Miyamoto has spent more than two decades uplifting and empowering LGBTQIA+ students—work that was recently recognized at the ’s Vision Without Limits gala on April 3.

…the true honor is to work for the success of LGBTQ+ students…
—Cameron Miyamoto

Miyamoto was one of three honorees recognized for their visionary leadership and commitment to creating a safer, more inclusive Hawaiʻi. The other honorees were Gregory Dunn and Laurie Mizuno, both celebrated for their significant contributions to the LGBTQIA+ community.

“Words can’t express how meaningful this honor is to me,“ Miyamoto said. “It’s humbling to have my contributions to our students at ����Vlog�ٷ� and our larger LGBTQ+ community recognized. But for me, the true honor is to work for the success of LGBTQ+ students at ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� on a daily basis.”

Lifelong commitment to inclusion

Miyamoto launched ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�’s LGBTQ+ Center in 2002 and has led the center ever since. At the center, Miyamoto has created a supportive space for LGBTQIA+ students, offering programs, counseling and advocacy to promote inclusion and success on campus.

He began his advocacy as a graduate student at ����Vlog�ٷ�, drawn to the movement for marriage equality. The rise in harassment and lack of protections in schools at the time fueled his passion for making education safer for LGBTQ+ youth.

As a founding board member of the Hawaiʻi LGBT Legacy Foundation, Miyamoto helped establish the LGBT Center Waikīkī and revitalize the Honolulu Pride Parade and Festival. Today, he supports the foundation’s expansion of programs that serve traditionally underserved groups, especially kūpuna and māhū.

Miyamoto’s efforts extend beyond campus. He has served on national and local boards, including the Japanese American Citizens League, and has shared his scholarship on queer people of color through publications and national conferences. He earned his MA in American studies from ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� and his doctorate in educational and professional practice from Antioch University.

The Vision Without Limits gala supports the foundation’s PRIDE365 initiative, which promotes year-round programs like Rainbow Support Circle and Queer Women’s Initiative.

This week’s ����Vlog�ٷ� News Image of the Week is from Windward Community College’s Taurie Kinoshita and Nicole Tessier.

They shared: “Alten Keoki Ken Kiakona as Kaomi, Corin Kumakani Medeiros as Kauikeaouli (Kamehameha III) and Leleaʻe “Buffy” Kahalepuna-Wong as Queen Kaʻahumanu in Aloha Kaua at .

Aloha Kaua is a world premiere historical drama by Windward CC alumna Noalani Helelā about queer love, sacrifice and courage in a time of repression and uncertainty. As a young man, Kauikeaouli (Kamehameha III) fell in love with Kaomi, who rebelled against the values and laws being imposed by the missionaries. As their love deepened, Kauikeaouli was inspired to resist oppressive colonial morality. He brought back hula, free love, drinking, games and Makahiki. Kauikeaouli eventually made Kaomi his Mōʻī kuʻi (joint king). Outraged, Hawaiian Christian chiefs resorted to violence, turning their anger on Kaomi and demonizing him for leading the king down what they believed was a dangerous path. Hawaiian historian Adam Keawe Manalo-Camp calls this the first hate-crime in the history of Hawaiʻi.”

.

Photo by Brad Goda

Previous Images
Circuitry
Samam
Boudreaux Smiley
Aeʻo
Cannonball flower
All Images of the Week

Send us your image!

Want to get in on the action? The next ����Vlog�ٷ� News Image of the Week could be yours! Submit a photo, drawing, painting, digital illustration of a project you are working on, a moment from a field research outing or a beautiful and/or interesting shot of a scene on your campus. It could be a class visit during which you see an eye-catching object or scene.

• .

Please include a brief description of the image and its connection to your campus, class assignment or other ����Vlog�ٷ� connection. By submitting your image, you are giving ����Vlog�ٷ� News permission to publish your photo on the ����Vlog�ٷ� News website and ����Vlog�ٷ� social media accounts. The image must be your original work, and anyone featured in your image needs to give consent to its publication.

The severity of anxiety and depressive symptoms in the planetary science community is greater than in the general U.S. population, according to a study led by a University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa scientist and published in . The study also found that symptoms are more severe for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers than any other career stage.

“After reading about so much anxiety and depression in academia, and as someone who loves both planetary science and psychology, I felt like I needed to do something because there are so many people suffering,” said David Trang, an assistant researcher in the at the time of this research and graduate student in the at .

Prompted by growing recognition of a mental health crisis within the academic and research communities, Trang and co-authors from ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa , Hawaiʻi Pacific University, Jet Propulsion Lab, NASA and U.S. Geological Survey, surveyed more than 300 members of the planetary science community. The survey requested demographic information and included commonly used assessments to measure the severity of anxiety, depression and stress symptoms.

Symptoms greater among marginalized groups

The authors found that anxiety, depressive or stress symptoms appear greater among marginalized groups, such as women, people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community. And further, when examining the correlation between marginalized communities and considering leaving planetary science, LGBTQ+ respondents were more likely to be unsure about staying in the field.

“Some of my colleagues have left the field of science because the academic workplace was hard on their well-being,” said Trang. “This is so unfortunate because science would benefit from each and every person who is passionate about research, as they could contribute so much to the field.”

The authors hope this work highlights issues that some suspected existed in planetary sciences.

“This work marks the beginning of the changes needed to improve mental health in planetary science,” said Trang. “I hope to continue to unravel what is driving these mental health issues and collectively develop solutions that will improve well-being, which will in turn enhance research quality and productivity.”

In the near future, Trang hopes to run psychoeducation workshops based on psychotherapy concepts to begin improving mental health in planetary science and potentially serve as a model to improve mental health in the rest of academia.

The University of Hawaiʻi 10-campus system has been awarded a five-star rating and was recognized as one of the nation’s top 400 companies across 78 industries, according to Newsweek’s second annual ranking of America’s Greatest Workplaces for LGBTQ+ 2024.

Five stars is the highest rating in the rankings that were based on a five-part evaluation with interviews and research from more than 29,000 LGBTQ+ employees who provided more than 205,000 company reviews. Desk research and analysis from social media were also conducted to assess the performance of the company’s commitment to and inclusivity for the LGBTQ+ community.

The only other Hawaiʻi entity that made the list was L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, which received four stars. For the full list of rankings, visit

Successful businessman Tom Wellman, a University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� master of accounting alumnus, always wanted to make more of an impact, especially for students who identify as members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community.

“The last couple jobs that I have had, I have been very out and open with my employers and with the community,” said Wellman. “I always was clear about that because there would be younger people in the organization who were very closeted about their lives, and they often would feel like they said anything about their personal life, it would hurt their career chances. I wanted people to know that it doesn’t. Being able to acknowledge your spouse by having their picture on your desk, simple little things like that are important.”

His gift of $100,000 creates the Wellman Endowed Scholarship in Accountancy for students enrolled in Shidler’s master in accounting program, with a preference for students who identify as LGBTQ+. It is the second endowed scholarship with a preference for LGBTQ+ students at any ����Vlog�ٷ� campus and the first for ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�.

Wellman had been planning to make a major gift for some time, but after an anonymous donor endowed the Kruschel LGBTQ+ Endowed Scholarship at ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo in 2022, he felt the time was right for a similar gift to Shidler.

“Kids from the LGBTQ community often are disadvantaged, often coming from families that don’t support them, financially or otherwise,” Wellman said. “This is a way to help acknowledge to the LGBTQ community and those kids that they’re OK. They’re good people.”

Career in Hawaiʻi

Wellman arrived in Honolulu with a one-way ticket and a music scholarship to Brigham Young University–Hawaiʻi, and transferred to BYU’s main campus in Utah to finish his accounting degree. After graduation, he married his college sweetheart, Donna, and the couple packed their suitcases and moved to Honolulu so Wellman could attend the ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� Shidler College of Business master of accounting program.

Wellman enjoyed a long, successful finance career, starting in Honolulu at Deloitte before joining Alexander & Baldwin (A&B). After moving over to Matson, Wellman returned to A&B as the company’s corporate controller and rose to vice president, treasurer and comptroller before becoming CFO and CEO at The Gas Co., later known as Hawaiʻi Gas. Wellman then returned to the continental U.S. because of Donna’s failing health, and she passed away in 2014.

He was offered a chance to return to Hawaiʻi as CFO of Island Energy Services for a few years following its purchase of the Chevron Hawaiʻi operations. By then, Wellman had remarried, this time to his best friend, Edward. The couple then settled in the Philadelphia area, where Wellman retired in 2020.

Wellman has been a strong supporter of the Shidler College of Business over the years. He and Edward have given for many years and are members of the Shidler Dean’s Circle and the School of Accountancy Director’s Circle. Wellman was inducted into the Shidler Hall of Honors in 1998, and served on Shidler’s School of Accountancy advisory board for nearly 30 years.

For more, .

October is LGBTQ+ Pride History Month and audiences are invited to at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa for a transformative journey celebrating the diversity of non-binary identities. The ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa presents , a provocative production that delves into an array of artistic expressions, such as monologues, contemporary dance, ritual, voguing, movement and acting improvisation.

• Related ����Vlog�ٷ� News story: ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa queer dance course among 1st in nation, October 11, 2022

The 27-member student cast is led by director and creator Pei-Ling Kao, an associate professor of dance. Kao’s intent is to creatively showcase the challenges that stem from conventional binary assumptions within society and education.

“Being a queer artist and educator of color, I question how the binary assumptions in society and linear education unconsciously impact our way of thinking and how we value ourselves and others,” said Kao. “I wanted to create an imaginary non-binary world on stage using aspects of contemporary dance, house ballroom, Indigenous dance and ritual, together with theatrical elements such as monologue, dialogue and chant.”

Special guests

Kao invited four queer/trans artists who brought in different aspects from their expertise to the production, such as multi-disciplinary artist and māhū (identity with male and female characteristics) Kalikopuanoheaokalani Aiu; Cuauhtémoc Peranda, a Mexika-Chichimeca/Cano (Indigenous people of Mexico) and cihuaiolo (women’s heart) drag queen; faʻafatama (non-binary) and activist Kiki Rivera and transgender, queer composer Ariel Wessendorf.

Markus Wessendorf, ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� Theatre and Dance chair, also played a vital role in the conceptual development of the project and provided extensive dramaturgical research.

“I hope the audiences take away the sense of community we built in the performance, the power of body and the movement, the beauty of each individual, whatever their particular gender pronouns or sexual identities, and the visceral felt moments in the show that possibly lead to question binary assumptions,” Kao explained.

for the mainstage production set to continue on October 27 at 7:30 p.m. and October 29 at 2 p.m.

A thriving force

In 2019, Kao debuted her production of Integral Bodies on Kennedy Theatre’s mainstage, which centered on inclusive dance making and critical thinking about what it means to inhabit a human body.

The Taiwan native is classically trained in European-American trajectory and Asian dance forms. In 2022, Kao received the ����Vlog�ٷ� Board of Regents Medal for Excellence in Teaching Award. She is also the recipient of the ����Vlog�ٷ� Endowment for the Humanities Award (2023 and 2018) and Junior Faculty Research Award (2018).

October is LGBTQ+ Pride History Month and has been celebrated as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer + history month since 1994.

The University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� will host a National Coming Out Day Fair in celebration of Honolulu Pride Month on October 10, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. at the Campus Center courtyard. National Coming Out Day is an annual LGBTQ+ awareness day, to support anyone coming out of the closet.

First celebrated in the U.S. in 1988, the initial idea was grounded in the feminist and gay liberation spirit of the personal being political, and the emphasis on the most basic form of activism being coming out to family, friends and colleagues, and living life as an openly LGBTQ+ person.

“National Coming Out Day is important to me because it reminds me to be proud of my queer identity! I also think it is important because it celebrates those who have come out to themselves or others,” said Minami Cheever, a junior at ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�.

The fair will feature more than 25 LGBTQ+ and ally organizations, churches, service agencies and sports associations. Music will be provided by DJ A.i.T. and drag performances will be spotlighted throughout the afternoon.

The LGBTQ+ Center spearheads the event in an effort to provide an opportunity for everyone to affirm and be proud of all aspects of who they are. The center has hosted an annual fair since 2002. More than 500 students attended the fair in 2022.

“Having the National Coming Out Day Fair on campus gives me a sense of place as a member of the LGBTQ+ community,” said sophomore Gabrielle Huliganga. “This is an event for everyone to hopefully connect with people like them and to find their community. Out of the closet or not, I hope everyone knows that they are supported and loved!”

The fair is co-sponsored by the Hawaiʻi LGBT Legacy Foundation, Honolulu Pride and the Hawaiʻi Health and Harm Reduction Center. Hawaiian Airlines is also an official participant in the fair and will share resources from Haʻaheo, its LGBTQ+ employee association.

“I was overjoyed to hear that there were events to celebrate pride proudly. I’m looking forward to meeting and connecting with other students this year,” said Lars Kaohu, a freshman at ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�.

Pride month events

����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�

Honolulu Pride: October 21
All members of the ����Vlog�ٷ� community are invited to march with the ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� LGBTQ+ Center and ����Vlog�ٷ� Commission on LGBTQ+ Equality. Hawaiʻi’s own Sasha Colby, winner of 2023 RuPaul’s Drag Race, will be this year’s Parade Grand Marshal and Festival Headliner. Meet at the Magic Island parking lot in Ala Moana Beach Park no later than 8 a.m.

Windward Community College

: October 10, 3–4:30 p.m.
A workshop geared toward gaining better awareness and understanding to foster a safe and inclusive community for LGBTQ+ students, faculty and staff.

National Coming Out Day Fair: October 11
11 a.m.–1 p.m. Hale Laʻakea Breezeway

Kapʻiolani Community College

: October 11
Lama Library

Leeward Community College

E aha ʻia ana ʻo Mauna Kea: November 4

Leeward Community College Theatre, 7:30 p.m.
A groundbreaking performance that weaves together Hawaiian moʻolelo (stories), contemporary dance and music in a captivating portrayal of the snow goddess Poliʻahu.

Workshops and Podcasts

: Through November 2
This virtual series will address various facets of queer experience and allyship such as intersections with culture, neurodivergence and disability.

A podcast based on LGBTQ+ books that have been banned throughout the education system.

.
This insightful podcast episode dives deep into controversy around the LGBTQ+ and drag queen community.

In recognition of Hawaiian History Month in September, and Filipino History and LGBTQ+ History months in October, the University of Hawaiʻi Commission on LGBTQ+ Equality is showcasing free online presentations and talk story panels in an effort to promote connection and uplift diverse voices and experiences.

, a three-month long series on Zoom will address various facets of queer experience and allyship such as intersections with culture, neurodivergence and disability.

Discovery and healing

Kaleikūkamakani Ruiz, an assistant professor and counselor at , spearheaded the inaugural series.

Ruiz understands the power of internal acceptance, and has conducted extensive research on Indigenous perspectives on gender and sexuality, which has led to a great deal of healing in his own life.

“This healing of discovery and connection is what I want for our community as a whole. My hope is that this platform allows us to learn more about ourselves and others, and in those connections, find healing, enlightenment and empowerment.”

Ruiz’s research is one of QUEERIFY’s planned lectures. The series spotlights presenters and panelists from the ����Vlog�ٷ� System and professionals in the community.

QUEERIFY Sessions

• September 19 at 3 p.m.
• : September 21 at 3 p.m.
• : September 27 at p.m.
• : October 3 at 3 p.m.
• : October 10 at 3:15 p.m.
• : October 19 at 3 p.m.
• : October 24 at 3:15 p.m.
• : October 26 at p.m.
• : November 2 at 3 p.m.

Nourishing manaʻo (thought, perspective)

Kawena Lorenzo, a major at and ����Vlog�ٷ� Commission on LGBTQ Equality member, is grateful the series will amplify queer voices to share much needed manaʻo about challenging struggles and triumphs.

Last spring, Lorenzo graduated from Leeward CC and was one of 23 recipients chosen from among thousands of applicants for the Flagship Scholarship from , the largest LGBTQ scholarship-granting nonprofit in the nation.

• Related ����Vlog�ٷ� News story: National LGBTQ scholarship for Leeward CC grad, June 19, 2023

“As someone who identifies as māhū, I feel it is important for people to hear the stories of our LGBTQ+ community, to understand our perspective not just on a human level but also the cultural significance of what it means to be māhū in the Native Hawaiian community,” said Lorenzo. “Our existence played a vital role—as teachers, caregivers, advisors,and we still serve in these capacities today.”

As a child, University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� student Misimatoka Tuamasaga Unutoa and his mother, Tofaaga Levi Salatielu-Unutoa, knew he was different when he gravitated more toward women and had feminine mannerisms. When he reached his 20s, his mother had a conversation with him, asking him about his sexuality and allowing him a safe space to come out as gay.

“I didn’t think I actually needed to come out,” said Unutoa in an with the . “I knew that my mom already knew, so I didn’t think there needed to be an official statement.”

“It never changed the way I felt about my children, at any point in my life, at any point in their lives,” added Salatielu-Unutoa. “I just wanted them to come out and talk to us (she and her husband) about it. [Misimatoka] finally cried about it, and I said, ‘Honey, don’t cry. Get up, put your clothes on and move forward. Don’t let that be a wall or whatever in life. Push forward.’”

Support from LGBTQ+ Center

When Unutoa came out in 2022, anti-LGBTQ+ legislation began to surface in parts around the country, and he believes this is what prompted his mother to have the conversation with him about his sexuality. Unutoa credits the support from ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� Director Camaron Mikio Jimenez Miyamoto for preparing him to come out to his mom.

“Cam helped me develop the confidence and motivation I needed to come out,” said Unutoa. “He protects students and their safety, and he ensures we have a comfortable environment that’s free of hate and crime.”

Through the center, Unutoa was able to receive resources and support services while building a community of people that share in the same spirit as him—the highlight of his experience with the LGBTQ+ Center.

“I met a lot of people through the LGBTQ+ Center Lounge, which was a safe sanctuary for many students coming in, and the weekly Coffee Hour that the center would hold,” he said. “I also walked in my first Pride Parade ever with the center, and it was so exciting being able to wave my pride flag and be me with such a supportive group of people.”

The LGBTQ+ Center provides resources, referrals and advising and support services while striving to maintain a safe and inclusive campus environment and affirm LGBTQ+ and māhū people across the ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� campus community.

Family, faith building acceptance

In Unutoa and Salatielu-Unutoa’s Sāmoan culture, they embrace the queer life and respect faʻafafine, a third gender in which a biological male embodies male and female traits.

“Because my culture is so accepting and open to faʻafafine, it made it easier to have LGBTQ+ conversations with my mom,” said Unutoa. “I always gravitated towards the faʻafafine in my immediate family, and my exposure to them and their openness to their identities were super influential to who I am.”

In addition to his close family, Unutoa’s religious beliefs helped establish his accepting personality.

“My mom always brought us to church, and in Christianity, we’re taught to love everyone no matter their race, their belief system, their identity or background,” Unutoa said. “It is the culmination of my Sāmoan culture and religious beliefs that have created what I really stand for and make me more welcoming in the communities I represent.”

Recent graduate Kawena Lorenzo was one of 23 recipients chosen from among thousands of applicants for the Flagship Scholarship from , the largest LGBTQ scholarship-granting nonprofit in the nation. Coming from a low-income family, being a first-generation college student, and identifying as Māhū (those who embody both male and female spirit), she is the third recipient from Hawaiʻi since the scholarship’s inception in 2002.

Determined to pursue her goal of using education as a tool for social change, Lorenzo earned her liberal arts degree and certificate of Hawaiian Studies and graduated as a Phi Theta Kappa (honors) member and Ke Ala ʻIke Scholar as she maintained a 4.0 GPA while actively participating in various academic clubs and organizations.

“My experiences have cultivated a resilience and perseverance in me that fuels my academic and personal growth,” said Lorenzo.

Lorenzo applied for the Flagship Scholarship after being encouraged by her Leeward CC Academic Advisor Leilani Puchalski. Awardees of the Flagship Scholarship must be “out” as a person who identifies as a member of the LGBTQ community, and must demonstrate outstanding academic achievement, leadership potential and a strong commitment to making a positive impact in their community.

“Through the diversity and inclusivity that [Leeward CC] fosters, I have gained unique perspectives, enriching my educational experience,” Lorenzo said. “Leeward [CC] has allowed me to engage in constructive dialogues, work on impactful projects, and build a community that celebrates diversity.”

Lorenzo is a peer mentor for the at Leeward CC, has contributed as a communications manager for the Hauʻula Homestead Project (helping to secure housing for underserved Native Hawaiian communities on Oʻahu), and is a volunteer online crisis counselor for the , working on suicide prevention among LGBTQ youth.

She plans to complete her bachelor’s degree in Hawaiian Pacific studies at the , then transfer to to pursue a PhD in sociology. Upon completion, Lorenzo wants to come full circle and return as an academic advisor at Leeward CC. By combining her passion for sociology and her desire to support and guide students, she hopes to make a meaningful impact on the educational journey of future generations.

Chantale Yokmin Wong has been appointed to high-level positions by three U.S. presidents and has served in other executive government roles. Her passion for public service was first sparked at the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� when she was a student.

Wong is the U.S. executive director of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) with the rank of ambassador. ADB supports social and economic development in Asia, and helps to eradicate poverty in the region. She was nominated for her current position by President Joe Biden and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in February 2022. After Senate confirmation, Wong became the first LGBTQ+ person of color and the first out lesbian to hold the rank of ambassador in the U.S.

“It is important to be the first ever but let me not be the last,” Wong said. “It’s very lonely being the first one. We need more of me to really join the ranks, but it also impacts the kind of work I do because representation matters. President Biden who nominated for this role is clear that our foreign assistance be non discriminatory but the economic argument is also clear—the LGBTQ community is often the most vulnerable of the vulnerable, and there are plenty—many in the countries the organization I work at now—where the LGBTQ community are discriminated against and targeted and therefore their access to education and health services are restricted.”

Wong earned her undergraduate degree in civil and structural engineering from ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�’s in 1980. While at ����Vlog�ٷ�, she worked her way through college, earning scholarships and serving as a cashier at the East-West Center cafeteria. She knew what it was like to work hard, while also relying on the help from others.

“The difficulties and challenges of what I had faced just reminds of what it means to me working in the space that I am now helping those in need much like I was helped,” Wong said. “Because I was on my own, I had to figure out where to get food or tuition. …When I got here, starting at the University of Hawaiʻi, I always had professors who took care of me.”

Finding her future at ����Vlog�ٷ�

Wong had a turbulent childhood. She escaped Shanghai at the age of six with her grandmother and lived with her aunt and uncle in Macau. Wong eventually found her way to Okinawa and Guam, where she attended high school. However, after her aunt died between Wong’s junior and senior years, she needed to figure out her post-graduation plans. It was through a scholarship with the Society of American Military Engineers in Guam that had a tie to ����Vlog�ٷ� that she found her way to ����ԴDz�. Wong was a successful student in the classroom and worked summer jobs, including surveying pineapple fields on Maui.

“All of that was helpful as I thought of all the people that helped me along the way. That’s what got me through. So I turn it around and I pay it forward a lot,” Wong said.

One of the ways Wong has paid it forward was founding the Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership more than 30 years ago. The organization seeks to empower Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) youth to seek careers in public service and building a strong AANHPI public service pipeline.

Path to Washington, D.C.

After graduating from ����Vlog�ٷ�, Wong headed to the continental U.S., earning her master’s in public administration from Harvard University and master’s in environmental engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

Wong was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the Board of Directors at ADB, representing the U.S. as the alternate executive director. She was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as vice president for administration and finance and chief financial officer at the Millennium Challenge Corporation, where she led change in financial, human capital and information technology management. Wong has also held senior appointments in the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, U.S. Department of the Treasury, NASA and the Environmental Protection Agency.

“We are living in very difficult and challenging times in the region,” Wong said. “Some countries have recovered from COVID and there are many others that are still struggling. The debt overhang in many of these countries—they borrowed extensively not only from the international institutions like ADB or the World Bank, but also bilaterally. So there are now countries in a debt crisis. And Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused huge disruptions in fuel prices and in food costs. Climate change is real in many countries. So these are huge challenges that we are dealing with in the region.”

A year now into her role and with COVID restrictions lifted in many countries, Wong is taking to the road to visit many countries that are a part of ADB. She will visit the three Freely Associated States to the U.S.—Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and Palau, along with seven other members of the ADB Board of Directors. Wong also had a stopover in Honolulu to attend briefings on the role and impact of Hawaiʻi to the three island countries. The purpose of this visit was to see first hand the particular development challenges of Pacific Island nations.

Chronicling civil rights movement

Wong briefly retired from public service in 2014 and took up a new hobby: photography. She purchased camera gear and chronicled many events, including the Martin Luther King, Jr. ceremony in Washington, D.C. in 2016. There, she connected with a friend who also worked during the Obama administration. Her friend was part of the Faith and Politics Institute, which organized pilgrimages with the late Congressman John Lewis, and invited her to participate and take photos.

Wong studied the history of King, Jr. and the civil rights movement, and for the last four years of Lewis’ life, Wong documented the annual pilgrimage to Selma, Alabama. She also befriended a number of civil rights leaders and icons, including the daughter of Viola Liuzzo, who was the only white woman killed by the KKK, because she heeded the call by King, Jr. to come and help during the Montgomery bus boycott.

“One of my photos is a beautiful photo of [Lewis] standing in front of the slave statues in the lynching memorial in Montgomery, Alabama,” Wong said. “He stood for a moment thinking about the plight of his people, the slaves—the mass incarceration of African Americans. He stood there for five minutes. I saw that scene from the top of the hill, I ran like a crazy person and took this shot. I had this beautiful shot printed, framed and given to him, and his staff told me he wept.”

—By Marc Arakaki

When it comes to expressing ourselves in contexts of our cultural worlds and working together to make a more welcoming and inclusive community for all gender identities and expressions, it may be difficult to find where to begin or how to address and understand these complex concepts.

The University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz�’s , , Women’s Center and offers a stepping stone to address these topics. A free screening of the award-winning film KUMU HINA: a place in the middle, will be followed by an open discussion with Kumu (teacher) Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu and directors/producers Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson on topics of gender and cultural identity on campus and within the Native Hawaiian community.

This livestream event will be held on Monday, April 17, 4:30–6:30 p.m. The presentation is open to the public. ()

About KUMU HINA

KUMU HINA is a powerful film about the struggle to maintain Pacific Islander culture and values within the Westernized society of modern day Hawaiʻi. During a momentous year in her life in Honolulu, Kumu Hina uses traditional culture to inspire a student to claim her place as leader of the school’s all-male hula troupe.

An incredible docu-drama that unfolds like a narrative film, KUMU HINA reveals a side of Hawaiʻi rarely seen on-screen. It is told through the lens of an extraordinary Native Hawaiian who is both a proud and confident māhūwahine, or transgender woman, and an honored and respected kumu, cultural practitioner and community leader. KUMU HINA brings an empowering cultural perspective to the quest for respect and inclusion for all.

The webinar is partially funded by the awarded to three CSDC doctoral interns in health service psychology.

For more information, call CSDC at (808) 956-7927.

This week’s ����Vlog�ٷ� News Image of the Week is from Windward Community College Theatre Manager Nicole Tessier.

Tessier shared: “Students rehearsing for Demigods Anonymous at , which opens October 28 as part of the Theatre 260 class at Windward Community College.”

• Read more: “Queer-centered superhero fantasy Demigods Anonymous at Palikū Theatre.

.

Previous Images
Well-being
Ā�Գܱ�Գܱ�
Taiwan
Micropropagation
ʻAkepa
All Images of the Week

Send us your image!

Want to get in on the action? The next ����Vlog�ٷ� News Image of the Week could be yours! Submit a photo, drawing, painting, digital illustration of a project you are working on, a moment from a field research outing or a beautiful and/or interesting shot of a scene on your campus. It could be a class visit during which you see an eye-catching object or scene.

• .

Please include a brief description of the image and its connection to your campus, class assignment or other ����Vlog�ٷ� connection. By submitting your image, you are giving ����Vlog�ٷ� News permission to publish your photo on the ����Vlog�ٷ� News website and ����Vlog�ٷ� social media accounts. The image must be your original work, and anyone featured in your image needs to give consent to its publication.

A popular exploratory dance course combining artistry forms such as drag, runway, vogue and pageantry is gaining momentum at the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz�. The recently launched a queer dance class, a three-credit elective course that offers students an opportunity to explore the communicative, physical and artistic aspects of dance as a medium of human expression and interaction.

Queer theory and queer studies are emerging in university curriculums across the nation. ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� is one of the first higher education institutions in the country to offer a full-semester, three-credit performing arts practice based course in queer dance.

“There is a great need to create a space of visibility for queer performing artists,” said Kara Jhalak Miller, an associate professor and associate chair of dance at ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�. “The dance faculty advocate for and support BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and LGBTQ+ dance, theater and performance scholars, artists, and artistic practices.”

More on queer dance

The dance genre, which can be traced back to the 1980s, was born out of gay and lesbian dance clubs and ballroom culture and has been widely popularized on stage by pop artists such as Lady Gaga and Madonna. Queer dance also features performing art forms such as impersonation, lip-synching and pantomime. The ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� course incorporates techniques and choreography created by Asian and Pacific Islander māhū (identity with male and female characteristics) here in Hawaiʻi.

“Self-confidence is key in this. Exploring yourself, who you are, not being afraid to be a little bit sexy, a little bit sassy, discovering new sides of yourself. I think that’s very much queer dance,” said Hannah Archer, a ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� dance major enrolled in the class this fall.

This classically trained dancer is grateful that ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� created the course last spring and believes that learning diverse dance genres and their history is key to becoming a well-rounded performer.

Nānā i ke kumu (Look to the source)

At the helm of the cutting-edge dance course is renowned Hawaiʻi performer Sami L.A. Akuna, a celebrated drag queen icon who is also known by his stage name, Cocoa Chandelier. Akuna, who earned his BFA in dance, BA in theatre and MFA in Asian theatre directing in the theatre and dance department at ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�, brings decades of experience in the performing arts, having entertained on stages across the continent and here in the islands.

The Native Hawaiian instructor presents students with choreography and dance techniques that have graced Hawaiʻi’s entertainment scene through the decades, dating back to revered onstage revues in the 1960s at The Glades, a popular downtown Honolulu bar that featured female impersonation.

“There is a lot of stored history in those production numbers that I’ve learned by watching or participating in these shows in Waikīkī or in fully mounted drag shows outside of those,” Akuna said. “Most of that choreography has been shared and remembered across generations. I’m bringing the knowledge and physical history of those movements to the class as well as creating new ones.”

Akuna’s course fulfills degree electives of both dance and queer studies. The ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� Department of Theatre and Dance and are currently working on cross-listing the course in both disciplines.

“LGBTQ+, māhū and ally students tell me that Sami L.A. Akuna’s queer dance is both empowering and life affirming,” said Camaron Miyamoto, director of the . “This is truly powerful and transformative education—exactly what higher education can do when it is at its very best.”

Taking their show on the road

Audiences will have an opportunity to catch Akuna’s students perform. Students are currently preparing to appear at the Honolulu Pride Festival on October 15 and Hawaiʻi State Art Museum on December 2.

Their onstage debut was showcased at the 37th annual Universal Show Queen Pageant at Hawaiʻi Convention Center in early October.

Each October marks Honolulu Pride Month on Oʻahu, one of �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ��’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, queer+ (LGBTQ+) celebrations. The University of Hawaiʻi is observing the month-long commemoration with an array of events sponsored by the ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa and ����Vlog�ٷ� Commission on LGBTQ+ Equality.

“Pride affirms members of our ����Vlog�ٷ� community and lifts up the experiences of LGBTQ+ and māhū (identity with male and female characteristics) people,” said Camaron Miyamoto, director of the ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa LGBTQ+ Center. “Too many of our LGBTQ+ and māhū students grew up with negative messages about themselves and their communities and this is a positive step to celebrate every aspect of who we are.”

Pride Month events

����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa

The Glades: Transgender Talk Story with Legendary Performer Brandy Lee: October 6
Legendary Hawaiʻi drag artists will share stories about performing at the Glades nightclub in Honolulu’s Chinatown in the 1960’s.

National Coming Out Day Fair: October 11
The fair will showcase LGBTQ+ resources available in Hawaiʻi and provide a chance to celebrate with friends and make new connections.

Honolulu Pride Parade–����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa group: October 15
All members of the ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa community are invited to march with the campus’s group. The theme is “The ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa Rainbow Warrior QUEERtoons.” Meet at the Magic Island parking lot in Ala Moana Beach Park no later than 8 a.m.

����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo

Coming Out Day Resource Fair: October 11
11 a.m.–2p.m., Library Lānai

Students will learn the basic terminology of LGBTQ+ and put their knowledge to the test through trivia style games. The LGBTQ+ Center will distribute resources and pride themed giveaways.

Windward Community College

National Coming Out Day Fair: October 11
11 a.m.–1 p.m., Hale Laʻakea Breezeway (in front of the library)
Join the Windward CC LGBTQ+ Commissioners to celebrate National Coming Out Day and Honolulu Pride Month. Enjoy free ice cream, learn about campus and community resources, and get free pride goodies.

Related: Queer-centered superhero fantasy Demigods Anonymous at Palikū Theatre

: October 28–November 6
Palikū Theatre
​​Action, magic and humor abound in this queer-centered, superhero fantasy about people manifesting ancient kupua (demigod) powers to transform into animals.

Leeward Community College

: October 27
Noon––1 p.m.
A workshop featuring students who identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Workshops and Trainings

Action, magic and humor will abound on stage in Demigods Anonymous, a new show running October 28–November 6 at ’s . Written by Windward CC alum Noa Helela, the queer-centered superhero fantasy tells the story of people manifesting ancient kupua (demigod) powers to transform into animals.

Demigods Anonymous follows Noe Lahana, who struggles with shapeshifting into a giant lizard, at her mandated Demigods Anonymous meetings. She, her girlfriend Marcella and their friends face their meeting facilitator, who is condescending at best, evil at worst.

“At 19, I learned that rehab isn’t a safe place to be a queer, mentally ill Hawaiian woman,” said Helela. “So, years later, I wrote Demigods Anonymous.”

The cast includes Reece Flores as Noe, Sydney Ishikawa as Marcella and Marie Richter as the menacing counselor. First performed at the Kumu Kahua Theatre in 2018, the play has since been updated, and now features an entirely different ending and approach.

Helela is a Hawaiian-Asian-European multimedia artist whose work includes filmmaking, playwriting, music and poetry. Helela is a Hawaiʻi Conservatory of Performing Arts emerging island artist. Most of her projects involve fantasy realism and dark humor, with intersectional themes including mixed racial identity, diaspora, native issues, racism/racial violence, colonization, feminism, queer relationships and trans identity.

“Noa Helela is a brilliant writer and artist; her empowering play is a metaphor for systemic oppression that BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) and Indigenous people often face,” said Director Taurie Kinoshita. “Western art is often binary but Demigods Anonymous defies simplistic categorization.”

For more information about Demigods Anonymous, visit the .

Show dates and times:

• Friday, October 28, 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, October 29, 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, October 30, 4 p.m.
• Thursday, November 3, 7:30 p.m.
• Friday, November 4, 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, November 5, 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, November 6, 4 p.m.

Tickets

• $20 general admission
• $15 senior, ����Vlog�ٷ� faculty/staff and active military (with ID, up to two tickets)
• $10 youth ages 13+ and college students with ID

To purchase tickets, visit the .

A sacred tribute to survival, resistance and unbreakable bonds amongst Indigenous women and queer kānaka ʻōiwi (Native Hawaiians) envelop a newly published poetry collection authored by a creative writing assistant professor at the . In her debut book , award-winning poet Noʻu Revilla casts a spotlight on themes of desire and intergenerational healing through the cultural figure of Hawaiian moʻo, or shapeshifting water protectors. Revilla is the first openly queer ʻŌiwi woman to have a full-length collection of poetry published by a leader in the industry.

“To see my family’s name on the cover of this book sparks my naʻau (gut) every time,” Revilla expressed. “Recently, both my father and sister asked me to read them poems from the book, poems I wrote for them. To have read poems out loud for my father and sister on Maui, where I was born and raised, and to see them cry because they recognized themselves in my words, because they felt the aloha I poured into each poem…that is a singular kind of rooted joy.”

Last September, Milkweed Editions, one of the country’s finest independent publishers, offered Revilla a book deal after she topped more than 1,600 other poets in the 2021 open competition. The Waiʻehu, Maui native’s first book of poetry is based on her dissertation which explores how aloha is possible in the face of colonization and sexual violence. Written primarily in English, Revilla’s 141-page poetry collection also features ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language), which at times, better expresses some of her deepest thoughts and feelings. In 2019, Revilla earned a PhD from the and went on to teach creative writing with an emphasis on ʻŌiwi literature. She is immensely inspired by the late ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� Professor Emerita Haunani-Kay Trask who was a celebrated Indigenous author and poet. In her book, Revilla dedicated the poem, “Recovery, Waikīkī” to the iconic Native Hawaiian scholar who helped mentor the budding ʻŌiwi writer in college.

“Poetry helps me to reflect on and metabolize heartbreak, especially as an ʻŌiwi wahine who loves and will always struggle for my ʻāina (land),” Revilla said. “Poetry helps me to recenter in aloha, which in a very real way means poetry helps me to listen to my kūpuna (elders) better.”

Celebrating Indigenous spoken word

The public is invited to celebrate the debut of Revilla’s poetry collection on September 1 from 5:30–7 p.m. at Ka Waiwai in Mōʻiliʻili (1110 University Avenue, Suite 100). The official book launch party will feature Revilla performing selected poems and other on-stage appearances by Brandy Nālani McDougall, Alohalani Brown, Māhealani Ahia, Kahala Johnson and Lyz Soto.

McDougall, an associate professor of Indigenous studies at ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�, is a celebrated kanaka ʻoiwi poet and author. She is thrilled to see Indigenous poetry gain more visibility.

“It is vital that more works from Indigenous poets take center stage because our histories, issues, and cultural values revolve around our peoples’ deep and intimate relationships with our lands and waters,” McDougall said. “So much of Indigenous consciousness and memory is connected to ancestral wisdom that emphasizes the great power of the natural world and to see ourselves as family to that world, as servants to and students of ʻāina, and not as beings who should (or even can) control it.”

Ask the Brindled is available for purchase online and at Native Books in the Arts & Letters Building in Chinatown.

A University of Hawaiʻi faculty member joined Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi and the City Council on June 21, to mark World Pride Month by raising the Pride flag outside the Frank F. Fasi Municipal Building.

����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa LGBTQ+ Center Director Camaron Miyamoto participated in the event.

“World Pride Month is a time where we can come together and celebrate Honolulu’s diverse culture and embrace our friends and neighbors in the LGBTQ+ community,” said Blangiardi. “The lighting of Honolulu Hale and raising of the Pride flag today are important symbols of our commitment to do more to build a more inclusive and diverse city.”

“Flying the pride flag over city hall during the day and lighting Honolulu Hale with rainbow lights at night will send a powerful message to our LGBTQ+ young people, their families and everyone in Hawaiʻi. This is a message of love, respect and aloha,” Miyamoto said to those gathered. “This is so meaningful for our students and our young people here in Hawaiʻi who live their truth every day.”

Honolulu Hale will be lit in the rainbow colors of the Pride flag from sundown on June 21 through sunrise on June 25.

Miyamoto also attended the bill signing ceremony with June 16, of Gov. David Ige for three bills that provide gender-affirming health care, inclusive jury selection and the establishment of the Hawaiʻi State LGBTQ+ Commission.