On October 25, 2024, the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaiʻi, Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaiʻi, Japanese American Citizens League Honolulu, and Lei Pua ‘Ala Queer Histories of Hawaiʻi co-hosted a community gathering in the JCCH ballroom aimed at highlighting the historical contributions Japanese in Hawaiʻi have made in the struggle for LGBTQ+ rights and equality.

The free event - titled “Kagirinaki Ai To Jihi: Toward LGBTQ+ Equity & Inclusion in Hawaiʻi’s Japanese Communities” - welcomed more than 100 participants and featured an interactive talk story with Justice Sabrina Shizue McKenna, the first LGBTQ+ Asian American to serve on a state supreme court; Bill Kaneko, who led JACL to become the first national civil rights organization to support marriage equality; and Marsha and Aiden Aizumi, a mother and trans son who shared their family’s journey as founders of Okaeri, a Nikkei LGBTQ+ community support network.

Moderated by Camaron Miyamoto, Director of the UH Mānoa LGBTQ+ Center, and Haylin Dennison, founder of Spill the Tea Café, the panel engaged in a dynamic conversation with the audience about how to ensure dignity, respect, and inclusion for all families, congregations, and communities throughout the islands, now and into the future.

“Many in Hawaiʻi’s Japanese communities have played a vital role in shaping movements for civil rights in the islands” said Lei Pua ʻAla co-director Dean Hamer. “Understanding the importance of equality and social justice from personal experience with prejudice and discrimination, advocates like those featured in the program have been leaders in the quest for LGBTQ+ rights and inclusion.”

Debbie Kubota, a member of the event organizing committee and of Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaiʻi Office of Buddhist Education said, “This event was a highlight in fulfilling Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaiʻi’s efforts to be welcoming and inclusive to all.”