6 days ago
Locals played volleyball, made history: New historical marker honors Hawaiʻi's history
HONOLULU (KHON2) — A new historical marker will be unveiled at Queen's Surf Beach in Waikīkī on Wednesday, June 4, at 4 p.m.; and it will mark more than just a moment in time.
It will reclaim decades of queer memory, honor māhū history and reignite the spirit of what some say was once the most visible LGBTQ+ gathering space in the islands.
'It's a free and open to the public event,' said Dean Hamer, co-founder of Lei Pua ʻAla Queer Histories of Hawaiʻi Project. 'It'll be hosted by the mayor because it's a public park of the city of Honolulu, and they've been our strong partner in developing this.'
This will not be a quiet occasion. Expect chants, memories, music and food.
'Starting at 4 p.m. at Queen's Surf Beach,' Hamer continued, 'there'll be an unveiling of a brand-new historical marker. It's mounted on a big stone, and it's got a QR code and some really beautiful, amazing pictures from that time because by then people were snapping photos.'
Joe Wilson, also a co-founder of Lei Pua ʻAla and Hamer's partner in life and filmmaking, added, 'We're really proud to be partnering with the Hawaiʻi LGBT Legacy Foundation in this effort. They have this younger group of folks that are trying to reclaim and reactivate that place.'
That group is called The Māhūi. They've taken up space on this beach in monthly gatherings and the annual Pride picnic to bring continuity to a site that once buzzed with volleyball, hula, friendships and fierce queer joy.
'It was a gay beach. It was out in the open, but everybody was welcome,' said Hamer. 'Apparently, there were a lot of big volleyball competitions; and one of the favorite things that Bill Char talks about is how they would invite the firemen over and then give them a good game.'
Queen's Surf Beach was never just about sunbathing. In the 1970s, it became a central spot for Hawaiʻi's LGBTQ+ and Māhū communities. It was a rare public space where people could connect freely, out in the open, without hiding.
'Come on down and have a little party at the beach,' Hamer added. 'It's still that kind of place.'The energy of those early gatherings is at the heart of the new historical marker being unveiled June 4 in collaboration with the Hawaiʻi LGBT Legacy Foundation and the City and County of Honolulu.
Hamer said the idea for the marker began with community conversations, especially one with a kūpuna who described 'the magical environment' of the 1970s beach scene.
'She talked about this incredible place near the aquarium in Waikīkī, on the shoreline there where people just hang out on the weekends,' Hamer revealed. 'You didn't have to go to a dark bar. You weren't going to out-of-the-way places. This is in the middle of the biggest, most beautiful public park in Honolulu. And everybody would be there, like under the tree and, you know, doing hula or playing volleyball and just connecting in different ways.'
Wilson said those stories shaped how they approached the marker's meaning and purpose.
'I think our imagination was really sparked by this,' he said. 'We've been having casual conversations with, you know, cops and just people across our communities here for a long time to talk about how to bring hidden stories forward.'
The unveiling event is more than a ceremony. It's a community celebration, with a blessing by Kumu Patrick Makuakāne, an ʻawa ceremony and a beach picnic hosted in partnership with The Māhūi.
'As Dean mentioned, they have this younger group of folks that are trying to reclaim and reactivate that place,' Wilson said. 'They were so generous in offering to help host this picnic and really use it as a way to kick off the month with a big celebration.'
Following the dedication, the celebration continues at 6:30 p.m. with The Return of Kapaemahu at the Kūhiō Beach Hula Mound. It's a hula and mele tribute to the legendary māhū healers and stones. The performance is part of the Lei Pua ʻAla Queer Histories of Hawaiʻi project World Pride celebrations for the month of June.
'The aim of our work is to make the lives and experiences of LGBTQ+ and Māhū folks, who have always been part of Hawaiʻi's story, more visible,' Wilson explained. 'Because being seen and understood increases possibilities for being accepted and valued in the place you call home.'
For Hamer, that visibility carries urgency.
'We had no idea we'd be doing this work at a time when queer lives, and queer stories, are quite literally being erased from the public record,' he said. 'We're fortunate to be living in a place where our government is working with us instead of trying to eliminate us or pretend we don't exist.'
You can click here and for more information on the LGBTQ+ history of Queen's Surf Beach. You can click for more information on the specifics of the event.
Queen's Surf Beach is being remembered not for nostalgia but for its relevance.
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Wilson remarked that the significance of Queen's Surf in Hawaii's LGBTQ+ history meant that you didn't have to go to a dark bar' to be safe an accepted. 'You weren't going to out-of-the-way places. This was in the middle of the biggest, most beautiful public park in Honolulu. Everybody would be there, under the tree, doing hula or playing volleyball and just connecting.'
And on June 4, they will again.
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