COMMUNITY MEDIA ADVISORY
October 17, 2024
Kagirinaki Ai to Jihi:
(“Infinite Love & Compassion”)
Toward LGBTQ+ Equity & Inclusion in Hawaiʻi’s Japanese Communities
Friday, October 25 | 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i
2454 S Beretania St., Honolulu, HI 96826
The Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaiʻi, Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaiʻi, Japanese American Citizens League Honolulu, and Lei Pua ‘Ala Queer Histories of Hawaiʻi announce a public event aimed at highlighting the historical contributions Japanese in Hawaiʻi have made in the struggle for LGBTQ+ rights and equality.
This free event is open to the public and aims to engage participants in conversation about how to ensure dignity, respect, and inclusion for all families, congregations, and communities throughout the islands, now and into the future.
The interactive talk story will feature 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 share their family’s journey as founders of Okaeri, a Nikkei LGBTQ+ community support network.
Camaron Miyamoto, Director of the UH Mānoa LGBTQ+ Center, and Haylin Dennison, founder of Spill the Tea Café, will moderate the discussion.
The event, titled “Kagirinaki Ai To Jihi: Toward LGBTQ+ Equity & Inclusion in Hawaiʻi’s Japanese Communities,” takes place during Honolulu Pride Month, and shortly before election day, when citizens will have an opportunity to vote on a constitutional amendment that would protect marriage equality in Hawaiʻi from changes in federal law.
“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, “I’m encouraging our members to attend this event as it supports the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaiʻi’s efforts to be welcoming and inclusive to all.”
The event is free and open to the public and will take place on Friday, October 25, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaiʻi, 2454 S. Beretania St., Honolulu.
Seating is limited, please RSVP at this link: shorturl.at/d5elP
Contact:
Debbie Kubota
Chair, Commission on Buddhist Education, Honolulu District Commissioner
T: 808-295-3315 | E: dekub88@gmail.com