SPRING 2024
Queerphoria
MAIN PROGRAM | SESSION DESCRIPTIONS | PRESENTERS
Navigating The Intersection of Black + Queer
Tuesday, February 27, 2024, 3:15 PM - 4:15 PM
Syreeta Washington
In honor of Black History Month, this session will explore ideas related to the black queer experience. Join us as we speak with Syreeta Washington regarding her experiences as a black queer woman. We will discuss various facets of the black queer experience, including homophobia, anti-blackness, and the roots queer culture has in Black culture.
Māhū and Decolonizing The Idea of Gender
Wednesday, March 6, 2024 | 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Kumu Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu
This session is presented in partnership with the Office of Compliance, EEO/AA, and Title IX, Office of the Vice President for Community Colleges, as part of the Equity Explored Webinar Series.
There is no literal or direct translation of māhū in English. The concept of māhū in Hawaiian culture differs from Western labels like gay, transgender, bisexual, etc. and is considered by some to be a third-gender or "a place in the middle" of male and female. This webinar invites participants to learn more about the history and importance of māhū through a conversation with Kumu Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu.
Lei Pua ʻAla Project - Queer Histories of Hawaiʻi
Tuesday, March 12, 2024 | 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson, DeSoto Brown
Talk story with the creators of this new multidimensional project to document and memorialize the history of gender and sexual diversity within and across Hawaii’s uniquely multicultural society. Following a brief introduction, participants will be invited to help bring forward stories of the people, places, and events that have shaped the history of Hawaii’s Māhū, Aikāne, and LGBTQ+ communities and suggest new ways to honor, uplift, and activate their collective power for the benefit of current and future generations. (The session may include an online survey through which participants can respond to questions and/or provide additional info, comments and suggestions.)
Breaking Boundaries: Understanding Gender Transition
Tuesday, March 25, 2024 | 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Keiva Lei Cadena, Bunnie Cruise, Keoki Robello
Gender transition can be a challenging process for trans individuals. In this session, we will hear from trans individuals in our Hawai’i community who will share their experiences with transitioning, as well as discuss how to navigate the gender transition in healthcare systems.
Nature is Gay! Deepening Pilina between Queerness and 'Āina
Thursday, April 4, 2024 | 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Avalon Paradea
Queer and gay individuals have long been derogatorily referred to as “unnatural” by homophobes; yet even a cursory glance at other species shows us that sex, gender, and attraction are hardly as “straight”-forward as some may claim. In this talk, artist and conservationist Avalon Paradea (they/ them) explores the many ways in which queerness and nature coincide, from sex-swapping fish and monoecious plants to gay mythology and modern studies on queer ecology. As queer individuals, deepening our pilina (relationships) with ʻāina allows us to recognize our right to exist and find joy in this world. These connections have the power to pave a path towards radical, transformative healing, for both self and community alike.
A Rose Is Still A Rose: Healing From Sexual Assault
Tuesday, April 9, 2024 | 3:15 PM - 4:15 PM
Kaleikūkamakani Ruiz
Trigger Warning: This session will involve mention of an incident of sexual assault, as well as discussion of the mental and emotional journey of working to heal from that assault.
The 2017 Hawaiʻi Gender & Sexual Minority Report reported that LGB adults are significantly more likely to be victims of rape or attempted rape than their heterosexual counterparts. In this session, Kalei Ruiz will share an experience with processing the trauma of experiencing sex assault. Topics will include the effects of self-blame (and the ways queer identity, religion, and gender may influence self-blame), experiencing triggers, and how buried trauma can resonate well beyond the event and dynamically impact one’s life.
UH Resources | Community Resources (Child & Family Services)
Ace, Grace, Indigenous Space: Asexuality as Resistance
Monday, April 15, 2024 | 3:15 PM - 4:00 PM
Kaleikūkamakani Ruiz
Asexuality is among the least understood terms under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella related to sexual identity. In this session, we will seek to explain this term, the experiences it describes, and why this term can be important in relation to societal assumptions about sex and attraction. We will explore asexuality as resistance to colonialism, capitalism, and the idea of compulsory sexuality, as well as examine the nuances and challenges of this label along the lines of gender, race, and indigeneity.
Intentional Queer Identity Construction: Personal and Qualitative Anecdotes
Thursday, April 25, 2024 | 12:00 P M- 1:00 PM
Maximillian Soares Miehlstein (he/they)
You'll hear personal anecdotes about growing up Queer in Hawaiʻi as well as some qualitative research findings about navigating the construction of various Queer identities in social situations. The experiences of being non-cisgender, non-heterosexual, and neurodivergent played a big role throughout the development of my sense of self and still throughout my graduate studies. From going to an all-girls school as someone who was not a girl to negotiating being "out and proud" in professional academic settings, it's difficult to weigh when to openly share my trans and Queer identities. I'll weave together my background and data collected from other local Queer community members.
History of The Queer Monster in Film
Monday, April 29, 2024 | 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Kaleiheana Stormcrow (ʻo ia/they/them/theirs)
In this session, we will join Kaleiheana Stormcrow as they guide us through representations of queerness in film, and how it has changed over time.