Las Vegas Hosts Hawaiian Drag Queens Promoting the Islands’ Tradition of Gender Fluidity

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Drag queens, sporting the Hawaiian flag’s colors, swayed to an electronic remix of “Aloha Oe”, a piece written by the last reigning monarch of Hawaii, under the spotlight. The crowd cheered as one of the performers moved in a Tahitian-style dance.

Each dancer represented “mahu” — a Hawaiian term referring to individuals embodying both male and female spirit and expressing a blend of gender characteristics.

As part of a Native Hawaiian convention in Las Vegas, these drag queens headlined a performance titled “Mahu Magic.” This event sought to remind viewers of the long-standing respect and acceptance of gender fluidity in Hawaiian culture. Simultaneously, it aimed to contribute to the ongoing national discussion on transgender rights.

“This show is quite unique as it serves a specific purpose,” said Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, a mahu community leader, master hula and chanting instructor, addressing the audience during the performance.

“It aims to reestablish the rightful place that mahu hold between kane and wahine,” Wong-Kalu added, using Hawaiian terms for man and woman, as the crowd responded with enthusiastic cheers and applause.

Adam Keawe Manalo-Camp, an ethnohistorian identifying as mahu and queer, explained that mahu can also encompass nonbinary individuals, those who identify as third gender, and those attracted to the same gender.

“Mahu creates a space between male and female concepts,” stated Manalo-Camp.

Wong-Kalu noted that the Hawaiian language, lacking gendered pronouns, offers an easier way to occupy this space. In Western contexts, she prefers the Hawaiian pronoun “o ia,” applicable to all people, over “she” and “her.”

“The physical articulation doesn’t matter, whether you’re transitioning from male to female or vice versa,” said Wong-Kalu. “We embody elements of both. At times, we entirely leave one and move to the other, or we may simply remain in the middle.”

The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, primarily known for their rent relief and job training programs, sponsored Tuesday’s “Mahu Magic” show. For the first time, the council held its convention in Nevada rather than Hawaii during Pride Month. The relocation acknowledged that the majority of Native Hawaiians now reside outside the islands.

Kuhio Lewis, the council’s CEO, sought to illuminate the concept of gender-fluidity for those who have lost touch with Hawaiian culture due to escalating housing prices and gentrification.

Lewis aimed not only at Native Hawaiians born outside of Hawaii who struggle to connect with their heritage but also those on the islands, increasingly swayed by the continental U.S. influences. About a third of the 1,200 attendees flew to Las Vegas from Hawaii, while the rest were already living out of state.

“We must honor and recognize our identity, or we risk losing it,” commented Lewis.

The convention covered the evolution of traditional mahu roles in a panel discussion and offered workshops on hula, the Hawaiian language, and affordable housing.

Performers in “Mahu Magic” highlighted the importance of mahu in Native Hawaiian culture as teachers, healers, and keepers of knowledge and traditions, tracing back to the tale of four mahu healers from Tahiti who visited Waikiki over 500 years ago.

However, despite these historical connections, mahu recognition in Hawaii has waned due to centuries of foreign influence. Christian missionaries arrived in 1820, teaching Hawaiians to reject any deviation from strictly defined gender roles. In 1893, the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown by businessmen backed by the U.S. government, and the teaching of the Hawaiian language in schools was banned a few years later.

Despite the past stigma, mahu identity has seen growing acceptance today. Yet, the lingering issues remain. For instance, a 2018 report found that transgender youth in Hawaii are three times more likely to consider suicide compared to their cisgender peers.

Sadly, anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment from mainland U.S. states, which have passed laws targeting transgender children, has permeated Hawaii. This year, a bill was introduced in the Hawaii Legislature mandating “separate sex-specific athletic teams or sports” in schools. The bill, however, was not heard in either the House or Senate.

Lawmakers did pass a bill allowing individuals who change their gender or sex to replace their marriage certificates. Governor Josh Green, a Democrat, stated he would either sign the bill or let it become law without his signature.

Highlighting mahu during the Las Vegas event was crucial in counteracting prejudice, Wong-Kalu commented. “This, for me, is about decolonizing our people so that we understand our rightful place in our home, which we still do not have.”

The performers in “Mahu Magic” included eight Native Hawaiians and two of Samoan descent, which Lewis considered appropriate, as the mahu discussion is relevant to broader Oceania. Other parts of Polynesia, such as Samoa and Tonga, have similar concepts to mahu, with the Tahitian language even using the same word.

“Mahu” also echoes the term “two-spirit,” used by Native American, Alaska Native, and First Nations communities in Canada to describe individuals combining male and female traits.

Leikia Williams, the drag show’s producer and performer, shared how performances like these can be educational and transformative, changing perceptions and increasing acceptance for mahu.

“That’s educating people and letting them know that we’re real,” Williams affirmed. “We’re human. We’re here.”

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This report comes from McAvoy in Honolulu.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Hawaiian gender fluidity

More about Hawaiian gender fluidity

• Understanding Hawaiian gender-fluid heritage
• Native Hawaiian culture and mahu
• History of mahu in Hawaii
• Gender Fluidity in Polynesian culture