Reshaping the commemorative landscape of Hawaiʻi’s diverse LGBTQ+ Māhū communities
Lei Pua ʻAla
is a multidimensional project to document and memorialize gender and sexual diversity across the uniquely multicultural landscape of Hawaiʻi. Our aim is to empower queer communities through education and engagement, immersive digital experiences, exhibitions, performances, public art installations, markers, and monuments that serve as visible reminders of our shared humanity and the values that bind us together.
Artists are invited to submit proposals for a permanent historical mural or art work to be installed in a new AIDS Memorial & Community Memory Site at Honolulu’s Kakaʻako Waterfront Park Overlook, a hilltop site with all-encompassing views of city, mountain, and sea.
Created by Lei Pua ‘Ala Foundation in collaboration with Hawaiʻi Health & Harm Reduction Center, University of Hawaiʻi School of Medicine and other community partners, the memorial will be an enduring place where people can gather to reflect, mourn, and honor those who have been lost or suffered from HIV/AIDS, other epidemics, and related forms of prejudice, oppression and erasure; uplift Hawaiian and other cultural traditions of diversity, inclusion and well-being; and celebrate those working toward a more just and pono (equitable) future for all.
Grounded in Hawaiʻiʻ's uniquely multicultural landscape, the selected mural design will be a visually inspiring depiction of the long arc of community history honored by the memorial.
Stories
People
Places
Groups, Events, & More
Hawai’i Queer Histories Map
Explore some of the key sites in Hawaiʻi’s queer history. From an ancient monument honoring gender-fluid healers to the birthplace of the same-sex marriage movement, these are landmarks of the ongoing voyages of our diverse LGBTQ+ Māhū communities.
The map is available both on the website and on Bloomberg Connects, an arts and culture app you can download to your smart phone from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
Hawai’i is the Piko
Grounded in Kanaka philosophy and the cultures and worldviews of others who have come to call Hawaiʻi home, the project will offer broader understandings and deeper perspectives on identities, love, relationships, family, and inclusion. Our title “Lei Pua ʻAla” (garland of fragrant flowers) reflects a Hawaiian perspective on the beauty and diversity of our rainbow communities.
(Photo by Bruce Asato, Honolulu Star-Advertiser)
AIDS Memorial & Community Memory Site
Lei Pua ‘Ala Queer Histories of Hawaiʻi is partnering with Hawaiʻi Health & Harm Reduction Center, an array of community stakeholders, and the City & County of Honolulu to create an enduring living monument in Kakaʻako Waterfront Park. With all encompassing views of city, mountain, and sea, the overlook site will offer current and future generations a uniquely spiritual place to gather, reflect, mourn, celebrate, and inspire.
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This contemporary hula show brings alive the long-hidden story of the Healer Stones of Kapaemahu, a sacred site of healing and inclusion that commemorates Hawaiʻi’s legendary gender-fluid healers. The free show was performed for an audience of thousands weekly, January 2025 to January 2026, under the banyan tree on the Kūhiō Beach Hula Mound, just steps from the sacred stones.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
The Return of Kapaemahu
The Return of Kapaemahu
From the Kanaka embrace of same-sex intimacy and gender duality to the experiences of queer Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Portuguese, Puerto Rican, Pacific Islander, and other immigrants; from missionary suppression of gender and sexual nonconformity to māhū entertainers who blazed the trail toward respect through brave acts of visibility; from gay physicians who fought HIV/AIDS with evidence-based public health measures to advocates and jurists who rocked the world by demanding marriage equality – these are just a sampling of the stories that will be gathered, restored, and shared.
(Photo courtesy of Alexander & Baldwin)
A multicultural history
Hui Moʻolelo: Lei Pua ʻAla
A collaboration with Maui Public Art Corps, Hale Hōʻikeʻike at the Bailey House Maui Historical Society, and the County of Maui that cultivates stories that celebrate Hawaiʻi history, culture and sense of place and create positive shifts in public attitudes toward queer rights and inclusion.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
Sign-up & Share Your Stories
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We also invite you to share stories about the people, places, and events that have shaped the history of Hawaii’s LGBTQ+ Māhū communities. To get involved, send us a note using the form and weʻll reach out to discuss the best way to include and share your story.
Contact: QueerHistoriesofHawaii@mail.com
