Kaulike No Na Mea A Pau: Toward Queer Justice in Hawaiʻi
New Traveling Exhibition on Gender & Sexual Diversity in Law
KCC Performing Arts Center
May 30 - June 30, 2025
Lei Pua ʻAla Queer Histories of Hawaiʻi and the Kauaʻi Community College Performaing Arts Center are proud to announce the Kaua'i debut of a traveling exhibition that explores the intersections of law, gender, and sexuality in Hawaiʻi. The exhibition, free and open to the public, is on display from May 30 until June 30 in the lobby of the Kauaʻi Community College Performing Arts Center.
Titled “Kaulike No Nā Mea A Pau: Toward Queer Justice in Hawaiʻi,” the exhibition highlights the complex ways in which gender and sexual diversity has been treated in the evolving social, political, and legal landscape of the islands, from early times to the present day. It features little-known stories and pivotal moments that reveal highs and lows across the centuries, from Hawaiian cultural embrace of māhū (individuals of dual male and female spirit) and aikāne (intimate friends of the same-sex) to missionary condemnation and colonial erasure, from plantation- and military-era persecution and criminalization to the emergence of gay liberation and the modern movement for dignity, respect, and civil rights for all.
“Hawaiʻi is well known as the birthplace of marriage equality,” said exhibition curator and Lei Pua ʻAla Co-Director Dean Hamer. “But few appreciate the foresight, strategy, and courage required to build support and enshrine protections for gender and sexual diversity in law. We hope this exhibition will deepen public understanding of how LGBTQ+ rights are part of the larger legal framework that ensures the promise of justice for everyone.
Matt Mattice, Director of the Judiciary History Center said “this is the first time an exhibition covering such topics has ever been presented in Hawai’i.” The exhibition was unveiled on October 1, 2024 on O'ahu in the rotunda of Aliʻiolani Hale, home of the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court, marking the beginning of Honolulu Pride Month following a panel discussion that featured Supreme Court Associate Justice Sabrina McKenna, former Associate Justice Steven Levinson, and attorney and former Associate Judge Daniel Foley discussing the groundbreaking 1993 same-sex marriage decision Baehr v. Lewin.
Kauaʻi is the first neighbor island to exhibit the display. The display is sponsored by Garden Island Tea, the LGBTQ+ digital newsletter of Kaua'i and may be viewed in the lobby of the Kaua'i Community College Performing Arts Center Monday-Friday, 1:00-4:00 pm. No admission cost.
Contact:
Philip Steinbacher
GardenIslandTea@gmail.com
(808) 652-3593
