Date:

Monday, 09/08/2025

Start Time:

02:30 PM

Place:

1390 Miller Street 2nd Floor Conference Room 1 & 2 Honolulu, HI 96813

Agenda

In-person location: 1390 Miller Street, 2nd Floor DHS Conference Rooms 1 & 2 Honolulu, HI 96813
Virtual meeting Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/92198507509?pwd=hieXyWvs3IPkxKPWliHOlqUKuG7jbm.1

Meeting ID: 921 9850 7509 | Passcode: 509173 | Waiting room opens 5 - 15 minutes before meeting

 

Commission Purpose: [From Chapter 369, Hawai‘i Revised Statutes] The legislature finds that there is a need to establish a body to improve the State's interface with members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, plus community; identify the short- and long range needs of its members; and ensure that there is an effective means of researching, planning, and advocating for the equity of this population in all aspects of state government. Accordingly, the purpose of this chapter is to establish a commission to provide for a statewide program, on a permanent and continuing basis, on the status of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, plus individuals in Hawai‘i.

 

CALL TO ORDER

 

1. Introduction and Roll Call (per HRS §92-3.7(a), state name of anyone present at a private location)
1. Officers (voting members)
1. Chair Sandy Harjo Livingston, PhD (he/him/they/them)- C&C Honolulu
2. Vice Chair Michael Golojuch Jr. (he/him) - C&C Honolulu
3. Secretary Philip Steinbacher (he/him) - Kaua‘i County
4. Finance Director Shanda Brack (she/her) - SGM Working Group
2. Commissioners (voting members)
1. Kathleen O'Dell, PhD (she/her) - C&C Honolulu
2. Joe Tolbe (he/him) - Maui County
3. Joseph "Rocco" Vick (he/him) - Hawai‘i County
4. Richard Velasquez (he/him) - C&C Honolulu
3. Ex-Officios or their designees (non-voting members)
1. Superintendent of Education designee Beth Schimmelfennig, Director of the  Department of Education, Civil Rights Compliance Office
2. President of the University of Hawai‘i System designee Dr. Camaron Miyamoto, Director, LGBTQ+ Center, UH Mānoa (he/him)
3. Director of Labor and Industrial Relations designee David Rodriguez, State’s Equal Opportunity Officer
4. Director of Human Resources Development designee Signe Nakamura-Dureza, EEO Administrator
5. Director of Human Services designee Jonathan Kimura, Executive Specialist
6. Director of Health designee Thaddeus Pham (he/him), MPH, Viral Hepatitis  Prevention Coordinator, Harm Reduction Services Branch
4. Guests
5. Comment on receipt of written testimony (if any)
1. Distribution of written testimony not received by September 5, 2025 at 12:00 p.m.
2. Review (if written testimony is received at the meeting, a break for Commissioners to review testimony may be required)

 

2. Member Shares, Concerns, and Reports (allow 1 minute)
1. Commissioners
2. Ex-Officios
3. Finance Director’s Report
4. Public Testimony

 

3. Guest Speakers (3-5 minutes)

1. Kumu Brad Lum - Native Hawaiians in support of Hawai‘i becoming a sanctuary state for gender affirming care.

2. Ikaika Regindor - Papa Ola Lōkahi resources

2. Keanu Young - Public Access Room at the Hawai‘i State Capitol Resources

 

4. Ongoing Business and Updates
1. Update on the progress for hiring the Administrative Assistant II position (see Board Packet)
1. Public Testimony (allow 1 minute)
2. Update on Commission legislative priorities for the 2025 Legislative Session; Commission’s 2025 Legislative Tracker https://bit.ly/2025LegHILGBTQplus
1. Update on the request for Commission representative for SCR 145 - DLIR; DHRD; Legislative Working Group; Labor; Paid Family and Medical Leave; Report
2. Public Testimony (allow 1 minute)
3. Update on Commission’s website - https://humanservices.hawaii.gov/lgbtq-commission/
1. Public Testimony (allow 1 minute)
4. Update on letter to the governor requesting an Executive Order from Governor Green to turn Hawaiʻi into a sanctuary state for gender affirming care
1. Public Testimony (allow 1 minute)
5. Update on letter to Maui Preparatory Academy donors re: Maui Prep’s anti-LGBTQIA+ policies for students
1. Public Testimony (allow 1 minute)
6. Update on queer community leaders meeting & Community Calendar
1. Public Testimony (allow 1 minute)
7. Update on addressing the needs of our community’s kūpuna, especially māhū, trans, non-binary, and intersex.

1.      Discuss and vote hosting a list of the Care Homes who have completed the self-attestation on our website as a resource.

2. Public Testimony (allow 1 minute)
7. Update of the Commission’s 2025 Pride Participation
1. Kona - Kona Pride on Saturday, September 13, 2025
2. C&C Honolulu - Honolulu Pride on Saturday, October 18, 2025
3. Public Testimony (allow 1 minute)
8. Update on Collecting Hate Crimes Data Discussion
1. Public Testimony (allow 1 minute) 
9. Update on Hawai‘i Department of Education actions taken or to be taken in response to the required certification to end all Diversity Equity and Inclusion practices to receive federal funding
1. Public Testimony (allow 1 minute)
10. 2026 Legislative Priorities (see Board Packet)
1. Vote - Legislative priorities for 2026
2. Vote - Leads for each priority     
3. Public Testimony (allow 1 minute)
11. Update from Hawai‘i Coalition for Civil Rights
1. Public Testimony (allow 1 minute)
12. Update - ‘Ōlelo coverage of board meetings, submission to Hawai'i State Archives, and airing on ‘Ōlelo channels and app
1. Public Testimony (allow 1 minute)
13. Discussion on statement condemning medical organizations abandoning trans community (see Board Packet)
1. Vote to approve statement
2. Public Testimony (allow 1 minute)
   
   
4. New Business
1. Establishing the Commission’s stance on mail-in voting (see Board Packet)
1. Vote to establish stance
2. Vote to approve statement supporting mail-in voting
3. Public Testimony (allow 1 minute)

 

6. Future Meeting Topics or Speakers
1. Discussion on inviting government and Non-Government Organization LGBTQ+ liaisons
1. Public Testimony (allow 1 minute)
   
   
7. Adjournment
1. Discussion
2. Public Testimony (allow 1 minute)
3. Vote on Adjournment

 

Future 2025 Commission meeting dates:

October 6th, November 17th, and December 8th

 

Board Packet: Click here for the folder where the Board Packet will be placed a minimum of 2 days before the meeting

Additional meeting information:

Written and oral testimony will be accepted. Written testimony must be received by September 5, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. to be included in the board packet. Written testimony received after that time will be distributed to the Commissioners at the meeting.

Written testimony may be submitted as follows:

By email: hawaiistatelgbtqpluscommission@gmail.com      

By postal mail: Hawai‘i State LGBTQ+ Commission
                         c/o The Department of Human Services

 PO Box 339 

 Honolulu, Hawaii 96809-0339

●       Written testimony should include the words "Public Testimony" with the agenda item number and description in the subject line to aid the Commission in reviewing the testimony.

●       Written testimony submitted to the Commission will be treated as a public record, and any contact information contained therein will be available for public inspection and copying.

Request for auxiliary aids: If you need an auxiliary aid/service or other accommodation due to a disability, contact Devyn Goo at dgoo@dhs.hawaii.gov or call (808) 586-4887 as soon as possible, preferably by September 2, 2025. Requests made as early as possible will be more likely to be fulfilled. 

Upon request, this notice is available in alternate/accessible formats.