Following violent threats that led to the cancellation of a planned fundraising event for LGBTQ+ youth on Hawaii Island, 18 state legislators issued a statement this week to reaffirm their support for LGBTQ+ youth and their families.
The family friendly billed event was set to take place at Keauhou Shopping Center on Saturday with funds raised going to West Hawaii Children’s Justice Center, said Rep. Jeanné Kapela (D-South Kona, North Kona and Ka‘u). It was called off when organizers and participants received threats of violence, including death threats.
“Violent threats have no place on our shores, especially when they involve children. The outbursts of hate speech that caused the cancellation of this event show that we need to strengthen protections for LGBTQ+ youth and their families across Hawaii,” said Kapela.
Contrary to the purported claims made by those responsible for the threats, which have since been removed, the event’s organizers, including transgender persons, stated that scheduled performances would not include any adult themes or vulgarity. Those who allegedly posted the violent rhetoric about the event also falsely accused its sponsors of grooming children for sexual exploitation, which is a common stereotype used to discriminate against the transgender community.
“We will not allow anyone to make LGBTQ+ children feel ashamed of or afraid to express their identity,” said Kapela. “These children are an essential part of our community and deserve to be loved, validated, and provided with unconditional care.”
Another of the event’s organizers, Justine Smith said the bulk of the content was “Disney-esque.”
“I was going to dress as Ursula and run sound and music for this production. The other performers were working on a group Cheetah Girls number (Disney) as well as individual acts,” she said in an email response. “Drag queens are larger than life, incredibly talented, and full of glitter. This show would have been similar to any show you might see at one of our local theaters with people in costumes performing for families. It’s simply performance art. All music and costuming was tailored for families, and G rated.”
Smith said she was incredibly naive to the intolerance, homophobia, and misinformation that existed in the community.
“There was so much excitement and support surrounding the event that when the hatred started coming in, frankly, I was blindsided,” she said. “I was called a groomer, trash, and other worse things. I was told that ‘we will get violent’ if we continued with the show.”
However, a spokesperson for the West Hawaii Children’s Justice Center said they knew nothing of the event or that it was billed as a fundraiser benefiting them until they started receiving calls from “visibly upset” residents who saw the show advertised on social media.
“People were upset that we were sponsoring the event, but we had no knowledge of it until someone showed us the flyer,” the spokesperson said. “It caught us unaware.”
Kapela, when asked about the center not knowing about the event, said “I also assume that CJC wouldn’t turn down donations from someone just because they’re LGBTQ+. The original event flyer noted that all proceeds would be donated to CJC, which clearly indicates that was the intent all along.”
The show is looking for a new venue.
“The show will go on — as it always does,” said Smith.
Noelani Sugata, marketing director for the Keauhou Shopping Center, said the center had not itself received any threats.
“Our focus has and continues to be our tenants and customers in assuring everyone has a positive experience while at the Keauhou Shopping Center. The shopping center has not received threats related to this event,” said Sugata.