Honolulu’s Pride grows further with the Rainbow Shower Tree
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.
Remembering the 1960s Bar That Became a Refuge for Honolulu's Māhū Community
The Glade’s history has received renewed attention from institutions like Honolulu’s acclaimed Bishop Museum, which featured ephemera from the “Boys Will Be Girls Revue” in a 2022 exhibition exploring the history of māhū in Hawai’i, a partial collaboration with the The Lei Pua ʻAla Queer Histories of Hawaiʻi project. In June, Lei Pua ‘Ala also unveiled an official plaque bearing the seal of the City and County of Honolulu at the former site of the nightclub, now Chinatown’s Maunakea Marketplace, detailing the Glade’s history as a queer landmark.
Calling all hula dancers: A new show is coming to Waikiki this fall
Kumu Hula Patrick Makuakāne joined Sunrise with details on how dancers can register to audition for The Return of Kapaemahu, a new show produced by the Lei Pua ʻAla Queer Histories of Hawaiʻi project that will run weekly for one year on the Waikiki hula mound.