Hawaii LGBTQ+ Commission Established To Advise Government

It will operate administratively under the Department of Human Services.

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It will operate administratively under the Department of Human Services.

Gov. Josh Green has directed that the state of Hawaii establish an advisory body to develop and improve the state’s interaction with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, plus citizens.

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi with commission members Oct. 1. (Hawaii LQBTQ+ Commission)

Powers and duties of the commission include creating public awareness and understanding of the “responsibilities, needs, potentials and contributions” of Hawaii’s LGBTQ+ community, according to a press release Thursday from the governor’s office.

Its work could also involve recommending legislative and administrative action “on equal treatment and opportunities.”

The commission, one of only a few in the country, is comprised of eight voting members. They are as follows:

  • Commission Chair Kathleen O’Dell representing the City and County of Honolulu;
  • Michael Golojuch Jr. representing the City and County of Honolulu;
  • Secretary (temporary) Joe Tolbe representing Maui County;
  • Finance Director Shanda Brack representing the Hawaii Sexual and Gender Minority working group out of the Department of Health;
  • Sandy Harjo-Livingston representing the City and County of Honolulu;
  • Philip Steinbacher representing Kauai County;
  • Joseph “Rocco” Vick representing Hawaii County; and
  • Richard Velasquez representing the City and County of Honolulu.

The commission includes six ex officio members or their designees including the superintendent of the Department of Education, the president of the University of Hawaii system, the director of Labor and Industrial Relations, the director of Human Resources Development, the director of Human Services and the director of the Department of Health.

“The eight commissioners come to the table with a wide range of diverse and relevant experience and history,” said O’Dell. “It’s easy to feel how committed the members are and how enthusiastically they honor the responsibilities they are charged to take on.”

The commission was established in accordance with Hawaii Revised Statutes 369, which states in part, “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.”

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