Trans Candidate beats Hawaii Speaker of the House in Primary Election

Where Kim Coco Iwamoto stands on the issues.

Good on him!

My God, look at the airbrushing.

Loved him on Drag Race!

That lip sync to Color Me Badd’s I Adore Mi Amor was iconic although it was a risk for a non Blatino to use dreadlocks as nipple tassels.

Ya ya Kim Coco Jamboo ya ya ye

Interesting website, R3.

Kim Coco has four other siblings... all BOYS!

I guess one was bound to be gay or trans.

[quote] Iwamoto publicly opposed passage of California's Proposition 8, outlawing same-sex marriages in California. She has stated that Proposition 8 reminds her of her mother's internment during World War II and believes the proposition is a violation of essential civil rights, stating, "The country has acknowledged that [internment] as a mistake, to just go with populous fear to oppress a specific group. I think we're going to look back at this kind of oppression as a mistake."

Shame on you losers to make fun of and intentionally disrespect someone that has politically advocated for your rights.

Trans = mentally ill. Good luck.

Against the advice I would give young people today, I applied to only one college, the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City. I was accepted and moved. There, I found some of the most loving friendships that I still celebrate today.

After I earned my associate’s degree at FIT, I moved to San Francisco to escape the cold winters of New York. There, I worked in retail and lived paycheck to paycheck in a converted apartment hotel in the Tenderloin. I soon realized that I needed to go back to school and get a bachelor’s degree. I remembered how much I enjoyed the required English literature course at FIT, so I enrolled in the Creative Writing Program at San Francisco State University.

After I graduated in 1990 with my Bachelor of Arts, I worked as an au pair in Barcelona, briefly returned home, and then moved back to New York City.

The next six years in New York City were exhilarating. In addition to working, I volunteered at a community center and became more aware of social injustice.

At the community center, I helped young people build leadership skills. Some of the teenagers were homeless. Some of them were homeless because they had been kicked out of their homes when their parents learned they were gay. One 16-year-old boy I met told me that his father put a gun to his head and told him to get out of their house. His mother quietly slipped him a $100 bill for bus fare out of their small town.

I realized that I had a very supportive life compared to some. I continue to be surprised when I witness or encounter bigotry. We should all expect to be valued for our work ethic, skill sets, and contributions to our families and communities.

From my work with youth, I became more aware of oppression and how the law was often used as a tool to further bigotry and oppression. I realized that I had more to learn. I applied to law school.

Just before I was to start law school in New Mexico, my mother had a massive stroke back home in Hawaiʻi. She was left with a severe brain injury. I decided to defer law school, return home, and help her. It was a challenging year for both of us, but I have never grown more in such a short period of time.

I was 26 years old and my mother’s primary caregiver. I thought to myself, “This is what it must be like to be a single parent.” She rehabilitated to the point where she could attend day care, which gave me time to volunteer at the Hawaiʻi State Court of Appeals. There, I honed my research and writing skills in anticipation for law school.

After that transformative year, one of my brothers and his family moved into my mother’s home to care for her. I moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico and started law school.

I began to feel settled back in Hawaiʻi and became a licensed therapeutic foster parent. I thought about the homeless children in New York City and how they were abused, neglected and kicked out of their homes for just being who they were. I wanted to help young people in Hawaiʻi who were in the same situation. I provided a home, love, and support for foster kids. I attended IEP meetings, parent-teacher meetings, and extracurricular activities.

I learned that my kids and many others needed an advocate in the education system. I attended some BOE meetings and got involved in the local public schools to support my children. It didn’t take long for me to realize that the Hawaiʻi Board of Education needed some fresh perspective, innovative leadership, and someone to act as a voice for the children. This helped to inform my decision to run for Board of Education, Oʻahu-at-Large. I’ve had the honor and responsibility of serving on the Hawaiʻi State Board of Education from 2006 – 2011.

Fashion Institute of Technology, New York City, AAS 1988

San Francisco State University, CA, BA 1990

University of New Mexico School of Law, Albuquerque, JD 2000

“Should I marry Kocoum?”

[quote] Trans = mentally ill

Do you dickheads not know any modern history to be aware that people used to say (and many homophones still do) gay = mentally ill? Repeating these tired arguments just shows you up to be really ignorant. Are you not embarrassed?

Really, R8?

This doesn't sound like a "mentally ill" person.

You're just being a cunt.

Arrested during a protest with striking nurses.

You go Kim Coco!

Hard to believe that the state that helped get the DOMA Act passed in the mid 90s elected a trans person to replace a heavyweight powerbroker like that.

The times they are a changin'.

I’m very impressed by her life story as written above - she sounds like the kind of politician from whose service we would all benefit.

I am also deeply impressed R16. I read her whole bio and then looked around her website and then Wikipedia. Her families story of being interned in camps during the war in Arizona is interesting. It must have been very difficult for the family to remain in the US after being treated like that.

She was recognized as a Champion of Change by President Barack Obama in 2013. She is obviously a very genuine and good person who cares deeply for other people. Looking at her social media - she appears to work tirelessly for the betterment of other people's lives. Qualities like those in a politician are what we desperately need right now. Good luck to her and I hope she has great success and changes lives.

Live by the sword, die by the sword.

Kim did indeed turn out to be gay, r6.

I need some coconuts!

Not even 5000 people voted in this election?

And turnout barely scraped 32%.

That's crazy, R22.

Sounds like a lot of disenfranchised voters.

Or they just don't give a shit.

Hawaii is generally dead last in Presidential election voter participation.

Like Texas they have a deep tradition of not voting.

[quote]I remembered how much I enjoyed the required English literature course at FIT, so I enrolled in the Creative Writing Program at San Francisco State University.

I can't really explain it but this is a big red flag for me and suggests that Kim is a little self-centered.

^ Neither can we...

Hawaii politics and government is so corrupt. There have been so many scandals. It’s refreshing to see someone new who has a social justice and advocacy background.

R27 You're so right.

Upon first reading I thought she literally beat him. Sorry not sorry. A lot of times they wake up and choose violence.

More Coco Puffs than Coco Peru.

No - people who have a "social justice and advocacy background" (and activists in general) are usually terrible politicians because they always want sweeping change right away and they're not able or willing to negotiate and compromise with people they disagree with, whereas politics is all about negotiation and incremental change.

[quote] No - people who have a "social justice and advocacy background" (and activists in general) are usually terrible politicians because they always want sweeping change right away and they're not able or willing to negotiate and compromise with people they disagree with, whereas politics is all about negotiation and incremental change.

Kim Coco Iwamoto is 56, and a seasoned advocate for the community.

Her responses are measured, but at the same time if there is an egregious case of injustice, like in the case of the Hawaii nurses strike, she will step up and fight for it.

R31 you paint all Progressives with such a broad brush, but they're not all the same.

Kim has been doing this for over 30 years, unlike AOC, Ilhan Omar, and the rest of The Squad.

Kim is also from Hawaii and of Japanese origin, so by nature, I think she's not inclined to be too aggressive.

You really should learn more about an individual, before you make assumptions.

That's telling them R32.

On the opening day of the Hawaii State Legislature, Republican minority leader Brenton Awa angers some in the LGBT community by referring to Kim Coco Iwamoto as a "Mahu," which could be construed as a slur.

[quote] Times, they are a changin'. I guess.

You mean Democrats have chosen a loser candidate. It’s the same as always.

[quote] It’s refreshing to see someone new who has a social justice and advocacy background.

That nonsense has led to the ruination of American cities.