#joe wilson

gaybaconprincess:

hELLO YES I HAD THE DOPEST DREAM ABOUT JERICHO LAST NIGHT

OKAY SO

I had this dream that instead of being left on a gODDAMN M O U N T A I N Jericho somehow ends up in Gotham ((at like,,,five to nine years old…I can’t remember EXACTLY whoops)) and gUESS WHO’RE THE FIRST PEOPLE HE RUNS INTO

If you don’t see where I’m going with this

Jericho is picked up and raised by his two new moms Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn ((who are most definitely the lesbian couple of the year at this point))

Keep reading

So, i love this idea so much i had to draw something for it. Expect more form this au, because i cant get the idea out of my head.

Complete credit for the au/idea goes to @gaybaconprincess honestly you’re aus are going to be the death of me. but i will die happy.

Hawaiian Anti-Bullying Film to Screen at Libraries Statewide

An educational toolkit for safe and inclusive schools.

HONOLULU, HI, Sept. 14, 2015 - TheHawaii State Public Library System will present “A Place in the Middle” - a short Hawaiian film at the heart of a newbullying prevention campaign centered on cultural empowerment and gender inclusion - in a series of screenings at eight selected public libraries statewide from Friday,   Sept. 18 through Wednesday, Oct. 28.  (See list below for screening   locations, dates, and times.)

Created by Kumu Hina Wong-Kalu,  and directed by Emmy-winners Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson, “A Place in the  Middle” tells the true story of a young girl who dreams of leading the  boys’ hula troupe at her Honolulu school, and an inspiring teacher who  uses traditional Hawaiian culture to empower her. After each screening,  the team will talk story with the audience about the film and  educational campaign - supported by Pacific Islanders in Communications,  Hawaii People’s Fund, Ford Foundation, and PBS Learning Media.

“We  encourage our patrons to learn more about Hawaii’s rich cultural  heritage through our libraries’ resources and programs,” said State  Librarian Stacy Aldrich.  "As community hubs, libraries serve as the  perfect venues to host discussions that enable our patrons to connect,  learn and celebrate Hawaii’s indigenous and diverse cultures.“

This  one-hour program is suitable for students, parents, and educators   interested in Hawaiian culture and community-based efforts to make   schools safe and inclusive for all.  Free DVDs and teaching guides will be available for participants committed to using them in their work.

"A Place in the Middle” Film & Talk Story Events

Sept. 18 (Friday) - 6:00pm: Thelma Parker Memorial Public & School Library (Kamuela, Hawaii Island)

Sept. 29 (Tuesday) - 6:00pm: Kahuku Public & School Library (Oahu)

Oct. 3 (Saturday) - 3:00pm: Kihei Public Library (Maui)

Oct. 7 (Wednesday) - 6:30pm: Waianae Public Library (Oahu)

Oct. 14 (Wednesday) - 6:30pm: Waimanalo Public & School Library (Oahu)

Oct. 15 (Thursday) - 6:00pm: Hawaii State Library (Honolulu)

Oct. 22 (Thursday) - 6:00pm: Hanapepe Public Library (Kauai)

Oct. 28 (Wednesday) - 5:00pm: Molokai Public Library (Kaunakakai)

For more information, contact Library Development Services Manager, Susan Nakata, at (808) 831-6878.

Big Island Now - Sept. 10, 2015:

One Big Island public library will be among seven in the state to present “A Place in the Middle,” a Hawai’i-made anti-bullying film.

The film was made to support a culturally-centered campaign for safe and inclusive schools and will be shown at free screenings across the state between Sept. 18 and Oct. 28.

Thelma Parker Memorial Public & School Library is the film’s first stop. The showing will take place on Sept. 18 at 6 p.m. before traveling to Oahu, Maui, and Kauai.

“We encourage our patrons to learn more about Hawai’i’s rich cultural heritage throughout libraries’ resources and programs,” said State Librarian Stacey Aldrich. “As community hubs, libraries serve as the perfect venues to host discussions that enable our patrons to connect, learn, and celebrate Hawai’i’s indigenous and diverse cultures.”

The one-hour program, created by Kumu Hina Wong-Kalu tells the story of a young Hawaiian girl who dreams of leading a boys-only hula troupe at her Honolulu school and an inspiring teacher who uses traditional culture to empower her. “A Place in the Middle” was directed by Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson.

Following the screening, a talk story session will take place with the audience about both the film and the educational campaign. Educational tools, including teaching guides and free DVDs, will be available following the program.

Those who need a sign language interpreter or another special accommodation should contact Thelma Parker Memorial Public & School Library by calling 887-6067 as soon as possible.

It’s back-to-school time in Hawaiʻi. Over 200,000 students will enter grades K-12 this year, full of curiosity and ideas. Unfortunately, many of them will have their studies disrupted and hopes crushed by bullying.  

Despite our reputation as the “Aloha State,” surveys show that one-fifth to over one-half of students in both public and private schools have been bullied or harassed.  And even though more than 90 percent of voters say that “bullying is important for the state of Hawai'i to address,” attempts to pass a statewide Safe Schools Act have failed repeatedly in the legislature.  Some parents, such as a father whose two young children were bullied for years without intervention in East Hawaiʻi schools, have even resorted to suing the Department of Education.

We’re fortunate that several local groups have stepped in to develop their own anti-bullying programs; the E Ola Pono,Adult Friends for Youth Anti-Bullying and Violence Convention, and Mental Health America of Hawaii Pono Youth Program are outstanding examples.  Even local comedian Augie T is helping out through B.R.A.V.E. Hawaiʻi, a program started by his daughter after she herself fell victim to bullying.

But bullying doesn’t occur in a vacuum; it’s the product of underlying stigma and prejudice.  That’s why it’s time to move beyond telling children that it’s bad to be mean, and start showing them why it’s good to be inclusive and accepting - not just for the targets of bullying, but for everyone in the school and community.  

We had the opportunity to witness first-hand the effectiveness of this approach during our two years of filming Kumu Hina, a nationally broadcast PBS feature documentaryabout a Native Hawaiian teacher who empowers her students at a small public charter school in downtown Honolulu by showing them the true meaning of aloha: love, honor and respect for all.  It’s a powerful lesson for children and adults alike.

In order to make Kumu Hina’s teaching available to students and teachers in K-12 schools across the islands, we’ve  produced a youth-friendly, short version of the film called A Place in the Middle that focuses on the story of one of her students, a sixth grade girl who dreams of joining the boys-only hula troupe. This might make her a target for ridicule and bullying in many schools, but the outcome of this story is very different.  It’s a powerful example of why students who are perceived to be different, in one way or another, deserve to be celebrated precisely because of those differences, not simply tolerated despite them.

Overcoming bullying in Hawai'i requires a systemic, long-term, multifaceted approach.  The true story of a local girl who just wants to be herself - and in so doing helps her fellow students and entire school - is a good place to start.

A Place in the Middle is available at no cost for streaming and download from PBS Learning Mediaand on Vimeo, and the accompanying Hawai'i Teacher’s Guide  can be downloaded from the Hawai'i Educators Website. The program will be touring Public Libraries across the islands beginning this fall.

As the documentary Kumu Hina reveals, living between both genders is the more powerful “mahu" way.

byJade Snow - July 28, 2015:

In traditional Hawaiian culture, creative expression of gender and  sexuality was celebrated as an authentic part of the human experience.  Throughout Hawaiian history, “mahu” appear as individuals who identify  their gender between male and female. Hawaiian songs often contain  deeper meanings—called kaona—that refer to love and relationships that  don’t conform to contemporary Western definitions of male and female  gender roles.

Expressions of sexuality and gender by mahu individuals were often  reflected in Hawaiian arts, particularly in traditional hula and music,  which continue today. The 2014 documentary Kumu Hina follows  the journey of Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu (“Hina”), a teacher—or kumu—at a  Hawaiian charter school in Honolulu, who is mahu. Kumu Hina explores the role of mahu in Hawaiian society through the lens of a  Native Hawaiian who is deeply rooted in the traditions of her ancestors  and committed to living an authentic life.

As a 21st century mahu, Hina’s experience is not unlike many others  who defy Western gender classifications. Born Collin Kwai Kong Wong, she  struggled to find acceptance throughout her youth. Today, Hina presents  herself as a female in her dress and appearance, though she embraces  both masculine and feminine aspects of her identity equally. And while  the film focuses on her journey to become Hina, it characterizes her by  more than her gender identity. The film presents a portrait of Hina as a   devout cultural practitioner and educator whose most fundamental   identity lies in being Hawaiian.

As a kumu at the charter school Halau Lokahi, Hina instills  time-honored traditions and cultural values in her students. One student  in particular, middle schooler Ho‘onani, traverses the ever-treacherous  waters of youth with the additional strain of identifying as being “in  the middle.” Hina relates to Ho‘onani’s journey and challenges the  students to create a safe and accepting environment. This proves  transformative for Ho‘onani, as her determination to define herself and  prove her capability garners her the lead role in the school’s all-male  ensemble, which the boys do not dispute. Due to the example Hina sets,  her classrooms embrace a new “normal” that openly acknowledges all  identities. The result is a confident, empathetic community of young  people who validate the complexities of Ho‘onani’s reality and provide  her with a compassionate place to grow up.

“It’s all a natural thing,” Ho’onani explains. “Kumu’s in the middle  too. Everybody knows that, and it’s not a secret to anybody. What  ‘middle’ means is a rare person.” Under Hina’s mentorship, Ho‘onani  flourishes, excelling in all areas of study, including music and hula,  and earning the respect of her peers. As she prepares for a school  event, Hina instructs that shell leis be worn by students based on  color: white for the girls and yellow for the boys. Without hesitation,  Ho‘onani suggests she wear both, and Hina agrees. “See, you get  both—because she’s both,” she explains. This is Hawaiian mahu, unique in  its perspective that an individual who has embraced both sides of their  gender identity does not require exclusive definition. Those who  identify with being mahu may exude more masculine or feminine qualities,  but their inner experience is one that ebbs between the two with the  grace and subtlety of the ocean tide.

When I interviewed Hina for MANA magazine’s 2014 feature “Beyond the  Binary,” she explained: “A mahu is an individual that straddles  somewhere in the middle of the male and female binary. It does not  define their sexual preference or gender expression because gender  roles, gender expressions, and sexual relationships have all been  severely influenced by the changing times. It is dynamic. It is like  life.” The “changing times” Hina refers to began with the arrival of  Christian missionaries in the 1800s and the imposition of Western values  on the Hawaiian community. They banned cultural expressions that  celebrated diverse sexual views and traditions they believed to be  profane, such as hula, and drove them underground. The suppression of  traditional Hawaiian values and practices marked a turning point in  Hawai‘i’s history, one in which mahu began a struggle to find  acceptance.

One of the greatest journeys of the human experience is the struggle to accept oneself and live authentically. Kumu Hina lifts the veil on the misunderstood and marginalized experience of   “other” gendered individuals whose identity cannot be defined by the   broad strokes of contemporary Western categorization. For many Native   Hawaiians, authenticity is at the heart of the human experience. Living authentically is one of the highest honors individuals can bestow upon themselves, their families, and their communities. By embracing her   identity, Hina not only fulfills her own personal journey to find love   and happiness, but she is able to positively influence the lives of   students like Ho‘onani who are grappling with their own identities.

To continue promoting Kumu Hina’s message of acceptance, a  24-minute version of the film and teaching guide were created as an  educational resource. This short film, called A Place in the Middle,  premiered in February 2015 in Germany and played at Toronto’s TIFF Kids  International Film Festival in April. According to co-producer Joe  Wilson, the film “has struck a chord with educators and other   professionals in need of resources on gender diversity and cultural   empowerment.” The film demonstrates healthy ways to address gender   identity in the classroom and promotes a safe academic environment for   youth to thrive.

Thanks to the determination of Hina and others, the Hawai‘i Marriage  Equality Act of 2013 was passed in November 2013. And though further  efforts are needed to reach equality, Hina finds validation in her home.  “I’m fortunate to live in a place that allows me to love who I love,”  she says. “I can be whoever I want to be. That’s what I hope most to  leave with my students—a genuine understanding of unconditional  acceptance and respect. To me, that’s the true meaning of aloha.”

A PLACE IN THE MIDDLE tells the true story of an eleven year-old Hawaiian girl who dreams of leading her school’s all-male hula troupe. The only trouble is that the group is just for boys. She’s fortunate to have a teacher who understands what it means to be “in the middle” - the Hawaiian tradition of embracing both male and female spirit. Together they set out to prove that what matters most is what’s in your heart and mind.

This youth-focused educational film is a great way to get K-12 students thinking and talking about the values of diversity and inclusion, the power of knowing your heritage, and how to create a school climate of aloha, from their own point of view!

The film is accompanied by a Classroom Discussion Guide that includes background information about Hawaiian culture and history, discussion questions, and lesson plans aligned with the Common Core State Educational Standards and additional educational benchmarks.

The complete film, Discussion Guide, and other resources, including a displayable “Pledge of Aloha,” are available for freeatAPlaceintheMiddle.org. They are also available on the trusted educator’s website PBS LearningMedia, and in hard copy upon request.

From the Berlin and Toronto International Film Festivals to classrooms across the United States, A PLACE IN THE MIDDLE is proving to be a powerful tool to talk about the intersections between gender, identity and culture, and the positive outcomes that occur when schools welcome students with love, honor and respect.

ClickHERE to see TRAILER.

What people are saying about A PLACE IN THE MIDDLE

“An inspiring coming-of-age story on the power of culture to shape identity, personal agency, and community cohesion, from a young person’s point of view.” –Cara Mertes, Ford Foundation

“A valuable teaching tool for students in elementary, middle and high schools, as well as for parents and teachers.” –Carol Crouch, Eleʻele Elementary School, Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi

“An amazing tool to help educators understand the need for acceptance for each and every child regardless of gender expression.” –Tracy Flynn, Welcoming Schools

“One of the most positive films about the trans experience I’ve ever seen.” –Jennifer Finney Boylan, author and writer-in-residence at Barnard College

“Uniquely accessible for youth.” –Gender Spectrum

”A true-life ‘Whale Rider’ story.“ –The Huffington Post

Kumu means teacher, and Kumu Hina has a lot to teach the world about how to educate with aloha – love, honor and respect for all.   We’ve developed tools to use with both the full documentary KUMU HINA, and a shorter kids’  film called A PLACE IN THE MIDDLE, with students from kindergarten through graduate school. Check it all out HERE.

A brief glimpse of “Kumu Hina” co-producer/director Joe Wilsonʻs June 24, 2015 visit to Mauna Kea.  Mahalo nui loa to everyone who shared their manaʻo. View the video HERE.  For more information please visit www.protectmaunakea.orgorfacebook.com/protectmaunakea.

Film Explores the Beautiful Way Hawaiian Culture Embraces Trans Identity

San Francisco, Ca. - July 1, 2015: Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson’s Kumu Hina has received the Independent Lens Audience Award, recognizing its status as the highest-rated film of the 2014-2015 season on the acclaimed Emmy and Dupont Award-winning PBS documentary series.

The film tells the inspiring story of Hina Wong-Kalu, a transgender native Hawaiian teacher and cultural icon who brings to life Hawaii’s traditional embrace of mahu - those who embody both male and female spirit. Over the course of a momentous year, Hina empowers a young girl to lead the school’s all-male hula troupe, as she seeks love and a fulfilling romantic relationship in her own life.

“The national broadcast premiere of Kumu Hina happened just as the country was struggling to understand Bruce Jenner’s transition to Caitlyn,” said the filmmakers. “Kumu Hina introduced the American public, mired in the Western mind-set of gender as a simple male-female binary, to Hawaiian culture’s more inclusive and holistic philosophy, one that embraces rather than rejects those who, like Hina, inhabit a place in the middle of the gender spectrum.”

Recently Hamer and Wilson have launched an education campaign around a special children’s version of the film, called A Place in the Middle, that tells the story of the young student through her own words and colorful Polynesian-style animation. The filmmakers are distributing the short video and teaching guides for free on their website and in partnership with PBS Learning Media because “Young people deserve to see a school where everyone is accepted and included,” they said. “We hope this project will help spread Kumu Hina’s message of aloha - love, honor and respect for all - to schools and communities everywhere.”

Kumu Hina was funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting,Independent Television Service (ITVS), and Pacific Islanders in Communications. Prior to its national PBS broadcast on May 4, it premiered as the closing night film at the Hawaii International Film Festival, and won numerous festival awards including the Frameline Jury Award for Achievement in Documentary.

Educational and home use DVDs are now on sale.  You can also rent or buy a digital copy of the film on VimeooriTunes.

KUMU HINA is a powerful tool for addressing the intersections between culture, gender and identity and is well suited for classes on a variety of topics including Gender, Women’s Studies, Ethnic and Cultural Studies, Sexuality, Health, and Film Studies.

Theeducational DVD package ($295) includes a public performance license that permits unlimited screenings in classrooms and community assemblies. The accompanying Discussion Guide includes information about Hawaiian history, gender diversity around the world, and suggestions for thoughtful conversation and for action.

Kumu Hina herself is also available for personal appearances, either in-person or by Skype, to share her cultural expertise and participate in post-screening discussions.  

Contact us for fees and availability. Email:[email protected]

Also, enjoy watching KUMU HINA in the comfort of your home.

Please note this DVD ($24.95) is strictly for personal use. Any school, educational use or public showing must include the purchase of an educational DVD with public performance rights.

There is a $7 shipping charge for destinations outside the USA.

Mahalo!

By Beth Sherouse, Ph.D., May 01, 2015:

Numerous indigenous cultures across the globe have traditions of recognizing a third gender, people who don’t fit within traditional gender binaries or whom we might now call transgender.

While European colonialism sought to suppress or marginalize these identities, some of these traditions have survived and are seeing renewed interest and attention. In some indigenous North American cultures, for example, people identify as two-spirit. In Thai culture, people assigned male at birth but who live as women identify as kathoey.

In native Hawaiian culture, people whose gender identity or expression is somewhere “in the middle” of the binary sometimes identify as māhū, which is the subject of the new documentary, Kumu Hina, premiering Monday, May 4 on the popular PBS series Independent Lens.  The film follows the story of Hina, a teacher (or a Kumu in Hawaiian) who identifies as māhū, and her 11-year-old student, Ho’onani, who describes herself as “in the middle.”

The filmmakers, Joe Wilson and Dean Hamer have also made a shorter version of the film called A Place In the Middle – which focuses on Ho’onani and her dream of leading the boys-only hula  group at her school – available as a resource for educators to help   facilitate discussions on gender. The film is available to stream or download for free from their website.

Filmmaker Dean Hamer explains that “Kumu Hina recognizes that when the class lines up, boys on one side and girls on the other side, there needs to be a place, an actual physical space in the middle” for Ho'onani and other students who don’t naturally belong on one side or the other.”

“In the end, Ho'onani becomes an incredible force and leads the boys into the final performance of the school year, and they come to not only  respect her, but really embrace her,” says Hamer. “The strong girl wins  at the end.”

“Unlike most educational films, it’s not just about kids, it’s for kids,” says Hamer, and Ho’onani narrates much of her own story. Hamer and Wilson have prepared a guide to help teachers facilitate discussions based on the film about “how gender is interpreted by culture, and how instead of just accepting   people who are ‘in the middle,’ this culture celebrates them.”

HRC Foundation Welcoming Schools consultant Tracy Flynn has used A Place In the Middle to work with educators on what welcoming school environments can look like for LGBTQ and gender-expansive kids.

“This film shows one culturally specific story with the universal message of acceptance,” Flynn explains. “It’s an amazing tool to help educators understand the need for acceptance for each and every child regardless of gender expression.”

For more ideas on talking about gender in the classroom, check out the resources available from HRC’s Welcoming Schools. For ways to support transgender and gender-expansive children and youth, visit hrc.org/trans-youth.

Janet Mock of MSNBC’s weekly talk show “So Popular!” talks about how the film title “Aloha” is misused and how Hollywood, in general, has a history of doing this with Hawaiian culture and language. Mock, who’s   Native Hawaiian, is frustrated at how some people view Hawai‘i as a   “pretty movie backdrop” and don’t learn or understand its culture.

“The ongoing appropriation and commercialization of all things   Hawaiian only makes it clear as to why it is inappropriate for those   with no ties to Hawai‘i, its language, culture and people, to invoke the  Hawaiian language,” she says.

ClickHERE to watch video.

By Dean Hamer, Co-Producer/Director of “Kumu Hina” –

Many U.S. schools serve groups of kids who are diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, age, religious or non-religious belief, national origin, family situation, ability, sexual orientation and gender identity. This diversity is especially vibrant here in Hawai'i, where many people describe their ethnic background as “chop suey,” Christians are in a minority and gender-nonconforming individuals are not only accepted but are respected and admired for their important role in perpetuating cultural knowledge and traditions.

For two years, we were given the opportunity to film a remarkable māhū (transgender) native Hawaiian teacher, Kumu Hina Wong-Kalu, as she created a “place in the middle” where every student at her small Honolulu charter school felt welcome, included and ready to learn to the best of their ability. Hina’s story is portrayed in our PBS feature documentary Kumu Hina, which is being nationally broadcast on Independent Lensas of May 4, 2015.

But we also wanted to bring Hina’s teaching to K-12 schools, which led us to produce a youth-friendly, short version of the film called A Place in the Middle that has been excerpted for the Perspectives for a Diverse America anthology. Here are some ways these video clips can be used to help students appreciate the value of inclusion, the strengths they inherit from their cultural heritage and their own power to create a school climate of honor and respect.

Celebrate Difference. In the scene “Welcome to Hawai'i,” Kumu Hina is preparing the students for a hula performance by handing out lei necklaces, yellow for boys and white for girls. But 11-year-old Ho'onani decides that she wants to wear both colors—a decision that her classmates meet with envy rather than scorn. In a later scene,“Kāne-Wahine and Wahine-Kāne”(Boy-Girls and Girl-Boys), Hina explains that she has created this “place in the middle” so that gender-creative students have a specific space they can call their own.

These clips are a reminder to teachers that students who are perceived to be different, in one way or another, deserve to be celebrated preciselybecause of those differences, not simply tolerated despite them. And it’s a jumping off place for students to think and talk about how every person’s identity is comprised of multiple interacting facets. A good discussion prompt is to note that Ho'onani is in the middle between male and female, then ask how many other ways people can be “in the middle”; for example, being more than one race or bilingual, being part of two households after a divorce and so on.

Use the Power of Heritage. In “Hawai'i Poniʻī,” the principal of the school urges her students to take seriously their lessons on Hawaiian culture because, “We didn’t get to sing ‘Hawai'i Poniʻī’ (the Hawaiian national anthem) in our schools. We had to pledge allegiance to the flag that took over Hawai'i.” Her approach works: By the end of the film, even the students who began the year with little enthusiasm have become full participants in the school’s activities.

You can use this clip to inspire students to inquire into their own heritage, starting with well-known aspects, such as food, holidays, etc., and progressing to a deeper conversation that incorporates social, cultural, political and historical contexts. Ask students to bring in food dishes typical of their heritage, and after the Smorgasbord is consumed, ask what ideas, values or practices their home cultures could contribute to their classroom or school.

Another clip, “Hawaiians Live in Aloha,” uses Polynesian-style animated figures to tell the history of how early Hawaiians respected and admired people with both male and female spirits, giving them the special name of māhū. Asking students to interpret images from this animated portrayal of Hawaiian history prior to and after viewing the film is a good ice-breaker for what some consider a sensitive topic. You can follow up by asking them to draw their own interpretation of what it means to be “in the middle.”

Teach With Aloha. Many people think of “aloha” as just a cute way to say hello or goodbye, but as Kumu Hina explains in a clip about her transition, the deeper meaning is to have love, honor and respect for everyone. Ask students how the characters in the film demonstrate aloha, and then how they do (or could) demonstrate it themselves. Most important, how do you rate your own classroom and school on living up to this standard?

You can help spread the concept of aloha by hanging aPledge of Aloha poster in your classroom or by handing out Pledge of Aloha postcards that can be signed and returned to Kumu Hina in Hawai'i. The module can be considered a success if students use this opportunity to share what they’ve learned about Hawai'i and its uniquely inclusive approach to gender and many other types of diversity.

By Nina Wu - Sunday, May 3, 2015:

Standing by the Sun Yat-sen statue at the Chinatown Cultural Plaza, kumu Hinaleimoana Kwai Kong Wong-Kalu reflected on a recent journey to southern China to explore her family roots.

There, in a small village more than 5,500 miles from home, she found acceptance from long-lost relatives, a powerful testament to the role of family in self-identity.

Being a mahu, or transgender person, as well as both Hawaiian and Chinese, defines her identity “in the middle” and is the subject of a documentary film, “Kumu Hina,” which premieres nationally on PBS’ “Independent Lens” on Monday in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

The film, by Haleiwa filmmakers Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson, tells of Wong-Kalu’s evolution from a timid high school boy to a confident mahu and respected kumu and community leader in modern-day Honolulu.

All through her struggles, family is what gave her strength.

“My purpose in this life is to pass on the true meaning of aloha — love, honor and respect,” says Wong-Kalu in the film. “It’s a responsibility that I take very seriously.”

Born a boy named Collin, Wong-Kalu was raised by both a Hawaiian tutu on her mother’s side, Mona Kealoha, and a Chinese popo on her father’s side, Edith Kamque Luke.

“My Hawaiian tutu and popo were the most influential in my life,” Wong-Kalu said in an interview with the Hono­lulu Star-Advertiser. “Both of them raised me to be very cognizant and respectful, and to be very mindful of Hawaiian culture and Chinese culture.”

With both parents working full time, Wong-Kalu spent much of her childhood with extended family — the Hawaiian side in Mililani and the Chinese side in Liliha.

With the Hawaiian side, she was called the “pake child” because of her more Asian looks. The Chinese side referred to her as the “Hawaiian one” because of her darker skin and larger size.

“I grew up in the middle,” said Wong-Kalu, whose parents separated when she was in the second grade. “I grew up not belonging completely to one or the other. Being both, and going to one side, they always consider you ‘the other.’”

So it was, as well, with gender.

Wong-Kalu, 42, remembers from a very young age feeling that she was more female than male. She would sneak into her mother’s closet while she was away at work.

“I’d put on her clothes and high heels and prance around the house for hours on end,” she said. “I wanted to be as beautiful as my mother.”

It was after graduating from Kamehameha Schools in 1990 and attending the University of Hawaii at Manoa that Wong-Kalu fully emerged as a transgender, taking the name Hina.

Besides being teased in elementary and middle schools for being too girlish, she was also taunted for her Chinese name, Kwai Kong, with kids calling her “King Kong” or “Ding Dong.”

“It was very hurtful,” said Wong-Kalu.

She said she found refuge in Hawaiian culture, where mahu — those who embody both the male and female spirit — are respected as a source of ancient knowledge.

Her father’s Chinese side of the family also accepted her transition. During high school Wong-Kalu had stayed mostly in Liliha, becoming the primary caregiver for Luke up to her death in 1997.

“Because I was the caregiver for the matriarch and everybody loved her, they all loved and accepted me,” she said. “She was the kindest one.”

Wong-Kalu has three older siblings — two sisters and a brother, famed Hono­lulu chef Alan Wong. She said her father, Henry Dai Yau Wong, a former U.S. Army sergeant and man of few words, accepted her as well.

“No matter my father’s internal struggles — and he did struggle — with the changes in my life, he never, ever made me feel less than — ever.”

An invitation to join Hamer and Wilson at the Beijing Queer Film Festival in September turned out to be the perfect opportunity for Wong-Kalu to search for her father’s relatives, with whom the family had lost touch. Through research, Wong-Kalu was able to find the name of her grandmother’s village, Gam Sek, in southern China.

Her popo, Luke, had always kept a framed family portrait in a side cabinet and Wong-Kalu brought a copy of it with her when she and the filmmakers took a two-hour taxi drive past numerous factories to the stone gate at the entrance to the small village.

Upon entering, Wong-Kalu met Luc Lu Moy, wife of a distant cousin. At an ancestral shrine there, she found a matching copy of the family portrait. It turns out a great uncle from Hono­lulu had brought it with him in the 1970s.

“I  burst into tears,” said Wong-Kalu. She placed her lei over the photo.

To introduce herself, Wong-Kalu showed the film to her relatives in China and found they embraced her despite her transgender identity.

“KUMU   HINA” follows Wong-Kalu in her former role as cultural director of Halau Lokahi, a Hawaiian public charter school, as she prepares students for an end-of-the-year performance. According to the filmmakers, the documentary is as much about the importance of understanding one’s culture as it is about family and societal acceptance of those who are different.

“This is really a reflection, through Hina’s life, of what family values can mean in the most positive and comprehensive sense,” Wilson said. “With her (students), she often talks about no matter who you are, where you come from, you should know there’s a place in the middle for you.”

A 25-minute version of the film, titled “A Place in the Middle,” is available for free through PBS Learning Media along with a classroom discussion guide for educators.

For Wong-Kalu, finding acceptance from relatives in China, a country where most transgenders largely remain invisible, was affirming. It was in the same spirit of aloha that she lives by.

Standing in Hono­lulu’s Chinatown, Wong-Kalu cited an inscription below the Sun Yat-sen statue that reads, “All under heaven are equal.”

Besides Beijing, “Kumu Hina” screened at the Hawaii International Film Festival in April 2014 and has been shown on the U.S. mainland and in Tahiti.

“The film emphasizes my life as a Hawaiian, but I am also very influenced by my life as a descendant of some of the very first Chinese that came to Hawaii,” Wong-Kalu said. “The influence on me makes me very devoted to the name of the family and to honor my parents and grandparents.”

On the Net:

» Learn more about “Kumu Hina” - kumuhina.com.

» Learn about PBS/Independent Lens - pbs.org/independentlens/kumu-hina/.

» Watch the trailer - https://youtu.be/MWAM1738JbM.

» Order “A Place in the Middle” with free classroom discussion guide at aplaceinthemiddle.org.

Hawaiian culture empowers and inspires throughout the islands, from the beautiful dance of hula to the traditions of mahu. For Hinaleimoana Kwai Kong Wong-Kalu, a cultural advocate and transgender woman at the center of docu-drama Kumu Hina, this culture has defined her life.

Text by Kelli Gratz | Images by Kai Markell - Lei Magazine

In 2011, filmmakers and partners Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson began a cinematic journey—one that neither of them could have anticipated. The subject they started with was Hinaleimoana Kwai Kong Wong-Kalu, cultural advocate, transgender woman, and Director of Culture at Hawaiian values-based public charter school Halau Lokahi. For the next two years, they followed Wong-Kalu through an interesting time in her life—she had recently married Haemaccelo Kalu, a native of Tonga, and was facing the daily struggles of leading an all-male hula troupe. But throughout the filming process, another story presented itself in the form of a sixth-grade girl named Hoonani, who insisted on joining the troupe. The result of that collision of stories is the gorgeous, inspiring three-character docu-drama Kumu Hina, which comes to PBS in May.

Being in the spotlight seems natural for 42-year-old Wong-Kalu. For more than two decades, she has lived her life as a mahu wahine, or transgender woman, and hasn’t ever looked back. As a child growing up in Honolulu, Wong-Kalu, then named Collin Kwai Kong Wong, knew he was different. He played dress up in his mother’s closet, and as an adolescent attending Kamehameha Schools, was often teased for being too feminine. He felt pressured to be what biology and society deemed him—a boy. But, by the time he was 20 years old, he decided to stop the charade, and transformed into Hinaleimoana, or the goddess of the moon.

Since then, Wong-Kalu has made incredible contributions to the Hawaiian community. A founding member of Kulia Na Mamoa, a community organization aimed to improve the quality of life for mahu wahine, she now chairs the Oahu Burial Council and even ran for a board position on the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, one of the first transgender candidates for political office in the United States. Clearly, she does not limit herself to anything or anyone, and believes in the cultural traditions of mahu, respected teachers and keepers of cultural traditions who were never stigmatized or discriminated. “They have the sensitivity for caring and the soft side which is more associated with wahine (women),”Wong-Kalu says. “Yet they have enough aggressiveness and enough strength—the backbone. Not to say that Hawaiian women were not strong … but the mahu had qualities of both man and woman in them.”

In person, Wong-Kalu is equally aggressive and nurturing. Her large figure, covered in Polynesian tattoos, is easily recognizable by many, and her presence is welcomed at community events and gatherings. I recall one in particular: the Hawaii Marriage Equality Bill signing in 2013. Her voice echoed through the corridors, and though I couldn’t understand everything she was saying since she was speaking in her native tongue, Hawaiian, I could feel her ha (spirit). Her oli (chant) was so powerful that days later, I would get chicken skin just thinking about it.

The film’s trailer has a similar effect. It’s a huge, controversial subject told through a captivating love story. A love between a man and a woman, a love shared between a teacher and student, and a love for culture and tradition. Kumu Hina examines the intricacies of a woman who struggled with her identity and the modern-day perceptions of what it meant to be a mahu. Always hovering in the “place in the middle,”Wong-Kalu is figuring out what her next move will be. No matter what, she will continue to speak her opinion, and inspire all around her.

Kumu Hina Premieres on Independent Lens Monday, May 4, 2015 on PBS. For more information, visit pbs.org/independentlens.

To learn more about the documentary and the woman who inspired it, visit kumuhina.comoraplaceinthemiddle.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Film About a Transgender Teacher in Hawaii Brings an Ancient Cultural Perspective to National Debate on Transgender Rights

“In high school, I was teased and tormented for being too girlish. But I found refuge in being Hawaiian. What I hope most to leave with my students is the true meaning of aloha: love, honor, and respect. It’s a responsibility I take very seriously.” - Kumu Hina

(San Francisco, CA) — At a time when transgender and gender nonconforming people across the U.S. and around the world have achieved unprecedented visibility in popular culture, but continue to suffer extreme violence, harassment, discrimination, and isolation, Independent Lens presents Kumu Hina, a moving film from Hawaii that offers a bold new perspective on gender diversity and inclusion through cultural empowerment. Directed and produced by Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson, Kumu Hina premieres on Independent Lens Monday, May 4, 2015, 10:00- 11:00 PM ET (check local listings), as part of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month programming on PBS.

Kumu Hina is the inspiring story of Hina Wong- Kalu, a transgender native Hawaiian teacher and cultural icon who brings to life Hawaii’s traditional embrace of mahu — those who embody both male and female spirit. The film traces Hina’s evolution from a timid high school boy to her position as a married woman and cultural director of a school in one of Honolulu’s grittier neighborhoods. As she contemplates who should lead the school’s all-male hula troupe in their final performance, a surprising candidate presents herself: Ho‘onani, a sixth grader who is proud to be seen as a mixture of boy and girl. As Kumu Hina helps Ho‘onani to negotiate the mixed reactions of her classmates and her family, the power of culture to instill a sense of pride and acceptance becomes clear.

The film also delves into Hina’s pursuit of a dream of her own — a fulfilling romantic relationship. Her tumultuous marriage to a headstrong Tongan man offers insight into the universal challenge of loving somebody outside the norm, and a glimpse of Hawaii never before seen on film.

“This film introduces us to an unforgettable and courageous woman whose life is simultaneously grounded in ancient tradition and on the forefront of one the most contemporary movements in society today,” said Lois Vossen, founding and deputy executive producer of Independent Lens. “Gender fluidity is a concept that has been understood for thousands of years in Polynesian culture, but is only now beginning to be accepted in the West. Kumu Hina teaches us all how to love and accept ourselves as we are.”

Hamer and Wilson wanted to break new ground with this film project by focusing on the abilities, accomplishments, and contributions of a transgender woman rather than on the prejudice and hostility she has faced. “Kumu Hina portrays a world where instead of transgender people being marginalized because of who they are, they are actually visible, honored, and included,” said the filmmakers. “A world where youth who are searching for their own creative forms of gender expression are embraced and encouraged to be themselves rather than to hide in fear or pretend they are just like everyone one else.”

In conjunction with the national broadcast premiere, the film team is launching an education campaign that includes a special children’s version of the film, distributed for free on PBS LearningMedia, PBS’s destination for educators and students. The film tells Ho‘onani’s story through her own words and colorful animation. “Young people deserve to see a school where everyone is accepted and included,” said Kumu Hina. “That’s why it’s so important to also have this short video, A Place in the Middle, that kids as well as teachers and parents will enjoy watching.”

Visit the Kumu Hina companion website (http://www.pbs.org/kumu-hina/), which features information about the film including an interview with the filmmakers, preview clips, and a discussion guide, plus links to A Place in the Middle, and how viewers can make their schools and communities more welcoming and inclusive by taking a #PledgeofAloha.

About the Participants

Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu (Kumu Hina) is a kanaka maoli (Native Hawaiian) teacher, cultural practitioner, and community leader. Born in the Nu’uanu District of Oʻahu Island, Kumu Hina was educated at Kamehameha Schools and the University of Hawaii. She was previously a founding member of Kulia Na Mamo, a community organization established to improve the quality of life for māhū wahine (transgender women), and Cultural Director at a public charter school dedicated to using native Hawaiian culture, history, and education as tools for developing and empowering the next generation of warrior scholars. Kumu Hina is currently a cultural advisor and leader in many community affairs and civic activities, including Chair of the Oahu Island Burial Council, which oversees the management of Native Hawaiian burial sites and ancestral remains. In 2014, Hina announced her bid for a position on the board of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, one of the first transgender candidates to run for statewide political office in the United States.

Haemaccelo Kalu, Kumu Hina’s husband, was born on Niuafo’ou, a small island in the Kingdom of Tonga, and currently lives in Honolulu where he works at ‘Iolani Palace.

Ho’onani Kamai, a sixth grade student at the school where Kumu Hina taught, rises to become leader of the all-male hula troupe.

About the Filmmakers

Dean Hamer (Director, Producer) is a National Institutes of Health scientist emeritus, bestselling author, and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker with a long history of communicating complex and controversial ideas to diverse publics. In 2004 he formed Qwaves with partner Joe Wilson to produce insightful and provocative documentaries about often-overlooked social issues. Their films were part of the pioneering days of citizen-generated content on the Internet and cable television, won numerous awards, and have been used as outreach and educational tools by many community and educational organizations. Out in the Silence, the first feature film from Qwaves, premiered at the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival at Lincoln Center to great critical acclaim. Hamer is also known for his research on the genetics of sexual orientation, which was described in his New York Times Book of the Year The Science of Desire. In 2011, he and Joe moved to Oahu, Hawaii to work on Kumu Hina, first in a series of films about Hawaiian lives and voices.

Joe Wilson (Director, Producer) got involved in documentary filmmaking through his professional work and social activism on human rights issues. Frustrated by the limitations of traditional organizing and advocacy, he picked up a camera with hopes of reaching broader audiences with stories that would inform and compel people to act. Together with Qwaves co-founder Dean Hamer, his films on controversial and often ignored human rights issues have won jury and audience awards and official selection at more than 100 film festivals around the country and the world, and received widespread attention for their role in promoting social change. In 2004, Wilson returned to his small hometown of Oil City, Pa., to direct and produce the Sundance-supported, Emmy Award- winning PBS documentary Out in the Silence. Through more than 700 grassroots screenings across the country, this film has become part of a national movement to open dialogue, counter school bullying, and support fairness and equality for all. Wilson and Hamer are currently living and working in Hawaii.

CREDITS

Written, Produced and Directed by Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson

Editor – Nels Bangerter

CoProducer – Connie M. Florez

Original Score – Makana

Animation – Jared Greenleaf, Jed Henry, Ryan Woodward

Camera – Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson, Connie M. Florez, Fred Vanderpoel, John Kuamoo, Cindy Iodice

Kumu Hina is a co-production of Qwaves, LLC and the Independent Television Service (ITVS) in association with Pacific Islanders in Communications, with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

About Independent Lens

Independent Lens is an Emmy® Award-winning weekly series airing on PBS Monday nights at 10:00 PM. The acclaimed series features documentaries united by the creative freedom, artistic achievement, and unflinching visions of independent filmmakers. Presented by Independent Television Service, the series is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, with additional funding from PBS and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. For more visit pbs.org/independentlens. Join the conversation: facebook.com/independentlens and on Twitter @IndependentLens.

CONTACT

Lisa Tawil  415-356-8383 [email protected]

Mary Lugo  770-623-8190 [email protected]

Cara White  843-881-1480 [email protected]

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KUMU HINA: A PLACE IN THE MIDDLE to Premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival, February 5–15, 2015

Produced & Directed by O'ahu residents Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson in association with Pacific Islanders in Communications, the film tells the story of a young girl who aspires to lead her school’s all-male hula troupe and a teacher who uses Hawaiian culture to empower her.

“A true life Whale Rider!” -Huffington Post

January 20, 2015 – (Haleiwa, HI) – KUMU HINA: A PLACE IN THE MIDDLE is one of 65 films from 35 countries selected for the 65^th Berlinale’s Generation programme, a slate of state-of-the-art world cinema devoted to children and young people seen by more than 60,000 attendees annually.

Firmly grounded in their respective cultural contexts, the selected films paint sensitive portraits of extraordinary characters often living in hermetically sealed worlds. “We experience young people who bear too much weight on their shoulders,” as section head Maryanne Redpath describes one of this year’s recurring themes. “The high degree of self-determination with which these children and adolescents liberate themselves from their predicaments is striking.”

A PLACE IN THE MIDDLE is the educational version of Hamer and Wilson’s feature documentary KUMU HINA, which was the Closing Night Feature in the Hawai'i International Film Festival’s 2014 Spring Showcase. The film has traveled the world for festival, campus, and community screenings, and will have its national PBS broadcast on Independent Lens on May 4, 2015.

In A PLACE IN THE MIDDLE, eleven year-old Ho'onani dreams of leading the hula troupe at her Honolulu middle school. The only trouble is that the troupe is just for boys. She’s fortunate that her devoted teacher, Kumu Hina Wong-Kalu, understands first-hand what it means to be ‘in the middle’ – embracing both male and female spirit. Together, as they prepare for a big year-end public performance, student and teacher reveal that what matters most is what’s in one’s heart.

With nearly 500,000 visitors each year, the Berlinale is the largest publicly attended film festival in the world. A PLACE IN THE MIDDLE was one of over 5,000 submissions to the festival this year, and the only selection from Hawai‘i.

“An inspiring coming-of-age story on the power of culture to shape identity, personal agency, and community cohesion, from a young person’s point-of-view.” -Cara Mertes, Ford Foundation’s JustFilms

“I know that this film will bring understanding and enlightenment to all who view it.” -Leanne Ferrer, Pacific Islanders in Communications

Festival info: https://www.berlinale.de/en/presse/pressemitteilungen/alle/Alle-Detail_26456.html

Film web site: http://aplaceinthemiddle.org/

by Cara Mertes, Roberta Uno, & Luna Yasui:

As grant makers at the Ford Foundation, we’re accustomed to collaborating. Our initiatives—Advancing LGBT Rights,JustFilms, and Supporting Diverse Arts Spaces—not only intersect; they also reinforce each other. When we work together, we’re reminded that three voices can truly sing louder than just one—an idea that was exemplified at a recent film screening and live performance.

On December 10, the foundation hosted 2014’s final JustFilms Philanthropy New York screening and performance series, this time celebrating cultural icon Kumu Hina, a transgendered Native Hawaiian activist and teacher, and the subject of the evening’s film. After her beautiful chanted greeting (a Hawaiian oli), she was joined on stage by world-renowned Hawaiian musicians Keali'i Reichel and Shawn Pimental, whose music brought the refreshing trade winds of Hawaii to a cold New York evening. By the time Kumu Hina returned to perform a hula, the 300-strong audience had been transported to a world of grace, revelation, and aloha. 

The performances were the perfect prelude to the screening of Kumu Hina. Directed by Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson, the film tells the inspiring story of Hina Wong-Kalu, also known as Kumu Hina. In high school, she was a young man named Colin Wong, who harnessed Hawaiian chant and dance to embrace his sexuality as a māhū, or transgender person. As an adult teacher, Kumu Hina supports a young girl student, Hoʻonani, as she fights to join the all-male hula troupe, pushing against the boundaries of conventional gender roles. Kumu Hina provides a holistic Native Hawaiian cultural context that affirms Hoʻonani as someone who is waena (between) and empowers her to move fluidly in her identity. 

Kumu Hina’s story centers on the power of culture to shape identity, personal agency, and community cohesion. It transcends the cliché of a young person coming of age through dance, because it is grounded in a Pacific Islander value system that offers a fluid way of understanding and valuing  identity—giving us all fresh ways to see each other with empathy. The film also points to Hawaii’s leadership as the first state to have two official languages, English and ʻŌlelo Hawai'i; as an early proponent of gay marriage; and as a model for a polycultural America, where culture and values influence each other and move fluidly across boundaries rather than live side by side, or in a hierarchy, as separate entities. But ultimately what makes this film so memorable is that it allows audiences to experience the incredible journey of one person and her community, teaching people everywhere to see, appreciate, and truly embrace LGBT people.   

This special event demonstrated how arts and culture, including film, dance, and music, serve as a central means of self-expression and political activism for LGBT people of color. They also exemplify how partnerships—those three voices singing as one—can help amplify a powerful story and support our grantees as they reach for a wider audience.

Watch Hina in performance with Keali'i Reichel & Shawn Pimental here:

New tablet! More art!

Requested by @pawdle-wawdle