about the creator
kaleikūkamakani "kalei" ruiz, MSCP (Chaminade University) conducts independent research into Hawaiian and global indigenous perspectives and histories on gender and sexuality, as well as the decolonization of gender, sexuality, queerness, and advocacy work.
In the fall of 2022, kalei would create and implement the first Queerify series. The response from the community was strongly positive, leading to a series in the Spring called Queerphoria. These two series make up the QSeries, for which kalei manages all programming and marketing, including serving as the webmaster for the Queerify website. Independent of the series, kalei has presented at several conferences on research regarding decolonial gender and sexuality.
kalei hopes to grow these efforts in the coming years to continue to help people expand their thinking around gender and sexuality, grow understanding and acceptance of the LGBTQIA+ community, and connect people to queer stories and experiences.
Most recently, he completed a research sabbatical in 2024 and created Puka Mai Ke Koʻa, a free online course that intersects Hawaiian worldview, settler colonialism, and LGBTQ+ discourse. For more information, you can check out the course here.
​​
If you are interested in having kalei speak to your organization, please reach out!
CONTACT: kalei.ruiz@hawaii.edu