about the creator

Kaleikūkamakani "Kalei" Ruiz, MSCP (Chaminade University) conducts independent research into Hawaiian and global indigenous perspectives on gender and sexuality would lead him to discover his place in his culture, community, and family as māhū, as well as to recognize the importance of decolonizing gender, sexuality, queerness, and advocacy work. Through this work, he has come to recognize the importance of connecting people to these ideas and queer stories and histories.

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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.