At a time when transgender identity is under assault in Washington, D.C., Hawaiʻi’s LGBTQ+ history is being shared and celebrated. With help from a grant from the Mellon Foundation, a new group that calls itself Lei Pua ʻAla Queer Histories of Hawaiʻi, in collaboration with Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities, is elevating gay heritage in the public sphere. Its projects include a set of new historic designation markers popping up around the city, a popular hula show in Waikīkī that highlights Hawaiʻi’s long transgender heritage and a website that brings to light the poignant life stories of path-breaking people and places once kept in the shadows.

One of the first actions President Donald Trump took after he was sworn in was to declare that the federal government will recognize only two sexes — male and female.

That declaration comes during a week when a new hula performance premieres in Waikīkī about a longstanding part of Indigenous culture — Māhū, which are people who share both male and female spirits.

Kapaemahu is the name of a short animated film and book about the healing stones of Waikīkī, and now the hula that tells the story will be a part of Waikīki through 2025.

The Conversation’s host Catherine Cruz talked to producers Joe Wilson and Dean Hamer about the production.

With Honolulu Pride Month taking place in October, the city unveiled the Official Pride Tree of Honolulu at a Pride flag raising ceremony which also served as the dedication of a new plaque honoring the tree gifted to the city by the Lei Pua 'ala Queer Histories of Hawai'i project.

Mayor Rick Blangiardi proclaimed the Rainbow Shower Tree (Cassia x nealiae ‘Wilhelmina Tenney’) on Oct. 1, 2024. This makes Honolulu the first city in the world to have this kind of symbol.