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.

Two filmmakers have created the Lei Pua ʻAla Queer Histories Trail project, aimed at documenting and memorializing gender and sexual diversity across Hawaiʻi's multicultural landscape.

The premise of the project is to uplift queer stories in the community through historical markers, according to the Lei Pua' Ala Queer Histories of Hawaiʻi co-founders Dean Hamar and Joe Wilson. By following the digital map in the Bloomberg Connects app, users will learn about eight key sites in Hawaiʻi's queer history.

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Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi on Friday held a ceremony celebrating International Pride Day — unveiling a plaque memorializing the historic Glade Show Club in Chinatown.

The club was a venue for members of the LGBTQ+/mahu community during the 1960s and ’70s, celebrating their individuality amid adversity and persecution.

Installed by Maunakea Marketplace Chair Ave Kwok and his team, the plaque marks the inaugural stop on the Lei Pua ‘Ala Queer History Trail — an initiative envisioned by filmmakers Joe Wilson and Dean Hamer that aims to bring awareness about the queer experience through historical markers, digital experiences and performances.

The plaque was unveiled Friday by the Lei Pua ‘Ala Queer Histories of Hawai’i project alongside legendary Glade performer Brandy Lee and Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi. It celebrates the legacy of The Glade nightclub, which was a hot spot for nightlife for nearly 20 years starting in the early 60s.

While the “Glades era” was a glamorous and fun time, it also carried a dark history. The nightclub was a safe space for transgender and drag performers and thrived at a time when those people were almost guaranteed to experience violence and discrimination in everyday life.

June is PRIDE Month across the nation. In honor of Hawaii's own queer history, some LGBTQ community leaders will soon be unveiling a plaque and a walking tour highlighting areas of town that have special meaning to the queer community.

Hawaii’s first Pride event was in 1974, four years after the Stonewall uprising that marks the beginning of the modern LGBTQ+ era. But Hawaii has a far longer history of respecting the value of every individual, and has emerged as one of the few places in the world where we continue to advance rather than regress.

It’s a complex and inspiring history that deserves to be better known.

From marriage equality in recent political times to acknowledging māhū voices in Native Hawaiian culture, sexual diversity is part of Hawaiʻi's history. Those stories will be told on a wider scale thanks to a three-year, $900,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation.

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A new project known as Lei Pua ʻAla seeks to collect Hawaiʻi’s queer histories. KHON2.com was able to catch up with the busy directors of the project, Joe Wilson and Dean Hamer, to talk about this new initiative.

Wilson and Hamer are filmmakers who have lived in Hawaiʻi for 20 years. During their time here, they have delved into the deep histories, even some that have been forgotten over time, like the Kapaemāhū Stones that are in Waikīkī. So, let’s meet Wilson and Hamer and take a look at what they’re doing to preserve facets of Hawaiʻi’s history.