 and welcome to Connecting Hawai'i Business on ThinkTech Hawai'i. My name is Kathleen Lee, and I am your host for this program. Today, I am excited to introduce the first Executive Director of the Hawai'i LGBT Legacy Foundation, Randy Soriano. Randy, thank you for being on the show today. Oh, thank you so much for having me, Aloha. Aloha to you as well. Tell our viewers about yourself. Of course. Well, as mentioned, I am the first Executive Director of Hawai'i LGBT Legacy Foundation. I have over 15 years of sales and marketing experience. I led the marketing team at Title Guarantee for over a decade, and I also have lots of nonprofit experience in regards to being on board of directors and advising and fundraising, which has led me to the amazing opportunity to transition over to nonprofit work and what better opportunity to work for something that I am super passionate about and serving the LGBTQIA plus community here in Hawai'i and being a part of this organization. I love that. How many boards are you if you're able to divulge or count? How many boards are you currently on, Randy? Quite a few. I currently am on the Rotary E Club of Hawai'i Board. I'm a past president, but I'm actually the current president at elect, so next year I'll be taking reins of the club and organization again one more time. I'm also serving on the PetWalk organization for Hawai'i Humane Society. We just had the event over this past weekend. And then, of course, I served with Hawai'i LGBT Legacy Foundation, and I'm actually trying to get more involved in the Filipino community as well. So I am a recent graduate of the fellow's program for the Filipino Chamber of Commerce, and I'll be helping out with the JCs with a few of their end of year events as well. I lost track. I did not count the number of organizations that you mentioned, but I think that is amazing, your community involvement and how you're going to tie that in and bring that into the Hawai'i LGBT Legacy Foundation. So let's talk about the organization. Let's delve into it. Tell us more about it. Of course. So the Hawai'i LGBT Legacy Foundation, we mostly are known for Honolulu Pride, which actually just happened last week. So mahalo to the community for everyone's support. But beyond that, really, we're an organization that was started in 2008 in order to provide resources and a safe space for the LGBTQI plus community. And really what we focus on is being that ultimate resource within the community that can tie in all of the organizations and community partners and really making sure that there's accessibility to those programs and services. As we've developed throughout the years, we, of course, have taken on additional projects like Honolulu Pride. And we've also really focused on intersectionality and trying to really delve into what programs are needed in order to best serve our community. So parts of that are creating, you know, our Rainbow Town Hall program, which was something that we started during the pandemic because we saw that not only does the community need the opportunity to share their voices and their opinions, but also during a pandemic, people need socialization as well. So we found it super important for us to create that safe space for people. And then of course, that's continued on beyond just the pandemic. And we've created the opportunity to have those really deep conversations within the community beyond just a virtual experience. And we made that in person as well. Along with that, in terms of accessibility and intersectionality, we've created our Mahui, which is our Culture and Education Committee. Really, their focus is on grounding the Education and Culture Committee in our host culture, which is, you know, the Native Hawaiian culture. And then even beyond that, really focusing on Pacifica voices. So, you know, that includes all of the Polynesian races and communities, but also, you know, beyond that Filipino Southeast Asian and really anything that's within the Pacific region. And really realizing that Indigenous voices have played such a huge part in LGBTQIA plus history. So really grounding us in that. And then also something that we're super excited and proud about is the Kupuna Project, which is really focusing on creating resources for our aging population and really helping them, you know, age with grace and humility and also giving them resources so that they can live really productive lives. You covered three, four questions by now. So thank you so much. I appreciate you for that. I'd love for us to go back to basics and talk about the acronyms, LGBTQIA and MVPFAFF. Randy, could you walk us through those acronyms, what they mean, what they stand for? Yeah, so I think what's really important here is that, you know, I think throughout the years, people get really intimidated by the thought of these acronyms, right? Because it started off with, you know, LGBT, then we added the Q, then we added the A. But really what people need to realize is that it's about inclusivity and equity. And really the reason why we're creating additional letters in the pronoun, I mean, in the acronym is really to be inclusive of everyone and how they identify and how they have their lived experiences. So, yeah, so we'll start with the foundation, LGBTQ, so that is lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans. And really that was the base of the community when this started, you know, and the thought process of being inclusive. Beyond that, what we've really realized is that there are other identities, other lived experiences, so we've added intersectionality, we've added intersex, we've added asexual, we added two plus. And a lot of people aren't familiar with the two plus concept, but two plus is really the two spirit, which is very similar to Mahu, which I'll cover in MVP fast. But really in the indigenous culture, especially in Native American culture, a lot of people have the duality of, you know, female and male energy. So we really want to be conscious of that and bring light to that, especially because we want to ground ourselves in host cultures and indigenous cultures. And then all encompassing, right? So we really want to add the plus as well, so that we are conscious that people may not always identify within those boundaries. I really want to bring attention to MVP fast. So that might be a new concept for a lot of people. But what really is so important, like I kind of mentioned in my previous statement, that we want to be able to bring honor and grounding to the Native Hawaiian and Pasifika cultures. So I think it's important for us to acknowledge their presence and acknowledge that their contributions to our community. So we're making a conscious effort of that and including MVP fast. So to make it a little more tangible for those in Hawaii, because we've grown up with this specific concept, the M in MVP fast stands for Mahu. And really I think that's something that we all can be very tangible with and understand because we are grounded here in Hawaii. And that concept of having duality in a spirit that has kane energy and wahine injury is something that we want to honor. And I think that through education, through our Mahui, we'll be able to kind of allow people to understand that a little more and then explore other indigenous cultures and how they manifest this within their beings. That was a lot. And I'm so grateful for it because that educates me as well. And that's why I wanted to pose a question to you because I feel like you're the best person to answer it. So as far as community challenges go, could you name some that you would like to highlight, that you would like people to know more about so we can work together and come up with possible solutions or address them? Yeah, of course. So I think there's a couple of things that are very timely on two different levels. Currently, as we all know, we're going into an election season that may not be favorable to LGBTQI plus rights, women's rights, equality in general. And we're in an environment that doesn't necessarily want to be inclusive and equitable for minorities and people who are marginalized. And I think part of that is realizing that and being proactive. So as a community, I really want to urge those out there to get involved with organizations like Hawaii LGBT Legacy Foundation, Hawaii Health and Harbor Dush and Center, Gregory House, and really just find your voice in being able to advocate for your own rights because we are going into this period. There's going to be lots of opportunities in the next few months, next couple of years to advocate for legislation that will not only maintain, but create new opportunities for us to live equitable and productive lives, similar to our straight cisgender counterparts. So I think it's just really important for all of us to be aware of those things and really get involved with these type of organizations so that we can ensure that we have rights going forward. We definitely don't want to relive the last couple of years that we've seen with women's rights. And I think that was a very huge warning for all of us to really see that something that we've worked towards in terms of civil rights could be taken away with one election. So we want to make sure that we prevent that. Something I also feel passionate about in terms of difficulties or challenges within our community is transference of information as well as intergenerational cooperation. I think as all of our generations have very unique lived experiences, we've all fought different battles and I think what's going to be really important for us is to unite with each other in the next few years and ensure that we learn from various past generations and their struggles and continue to fight those battles, but then also be nimble enough to realize that the younger generation also has newer challenges. And also they have a very different environment that we fought. Our generation, even the generation above us, we've lived in a world that wasn't so digitally focused. And the new generation, they are fighting their fight in a very visible way and the hate and the angst towards our community is directly in front of us now. It's not a fight that we fight in the courtroom or a fight that we fight in government. It's a fight that we fight every day in our lives because we are constantly bombarded by information. So being able to be a united community is going to be super important for all of us. And then being able to listen and live with grace and empathy so that we can move forward. Randy, I appreciate your very obvious passion for our community. And can you tell us how you got into this work? Yeah, of course. I think it started from a very young age. I myself grew up in a second generation Filipino household that is very traditional, very religious. And that was very good and bad for me in terms of my own personal growth. Because I think the structure and the traditions really allowed me to be very strong in my opinions and have a very good structure in terms of what I believe in and what I want to fight for and really helping marginalize people because being Filipino in Hawaii, I think a lot of people, even though we are one of the larger minority groups, I think there's a lot of unspoken disadvantages to being Filipino here in Hawaii. And that really helped me navigate how I wanted to advocate for that community. But then also adding a layer of being queer and being a little feminine. And I think that all of those things in combination really helped me be very passionate about where I stand in my beliefs and in my morals. And I think at the end of the day, I always want what's great and good for people. And I think it's important for us to find our voices and really advocate for those who can't necessarily speak and for themselves or advocate for themselves. And I've learned that through just my own experiences with my family. I have aunties and uncles and grandparents who came to America and didn't speak English well. And having to help them navigate that experience is super important. I love this conversation so far. And I appreciate everything that you are and everything that you do. I want to go back to your title and how it's the first executive director of the foundation. How did that come about? Yeah. So this is, I think, a brainchild of many years of the board wanting to expand. I think we've always lived in full transparency to everyone out there. And I think it's something that needs to be noted is that the Hawaii LGBT Legacy Foundation is a 100% volunteer-led non-profit prior to me becoming the executive director. So a lot of people don't realize that the largest parade and this huge festival in Waikiki Shell and all of the programming that happens year-round is done 100% by volunteers. And I think what we realize and as we grew is that it's really hard to be sustainable with a group of volunteers, right? There's only so much that people can do within their own capacity and resources, work in Hawaii, working a full-time job, having a family. So really we had to be super intentional over the last few years to really create opportunities for us to find some infrastructure because we knew that to grow beyond what we've already created, we needed to do that. So I'm very fortunate that I got to go through that process with the organization and really understand what is needed. And really even my experience in sales and marketing in the past really helped me understand from a business standpoint what we needed to do in order to take the organization to the next level. I think there's a huge correlation in fundraising and sales and marketing and I think it's translated quite beautifully for the organization so far. And thank you for weaving all that together, Radhi. Let's delve into successes since you already mentioned it. Pride month just passed. Congratulations on a very successful Honolulu Pride. Let's delve into that. Tell us about the parade, how was it larger than last year and where funds that may have been raised or going to? Awesome. Yeah. So I'm super excited to announce that this was definitely our largest parade festival, not only from the visibility standpoint, but from sustainability and funding as well. It's so beautiful to see the community and our corporate partners come together and really support such an important cause, especially because of the climate that we're currently in. I had the opportunity to see parts of the parade and it was just so beautiful to see the parade grow from something that we really were worried about. The pandemic brought a very unique opportunity because it kind of forced us to reimagine what the parade was. And then last year when we had the opportunity to bring it back, the sustainability and even the growth of the parade and the festival were a really huge concern. And just to see a huge turnout in terms of just participants and viewers. And the organizations this year, I really will say that they really came out in a beautiful way in a large way because the floats were amazing and larger than I've seen. And the contingencies were a lot larger. For example, we had huge groups from Bank of Hawaii, First Hawaiian, O'Lanee, and O'Lohi-Lanee had this amazing flow where they had a water feature in it. And even back to just the whole homecoming concept, which was our theme, bringing home representation like Sasha Colby, like Mark Kahnemura, like Bretman Rock, just having faces that look like us, that speak like us, representing us on such a large scale was so important. And then going to the festival, we had a unique opportunity this year to bring it to the main stage of Waikiki Shell. And that comes with a lot of anxiety as well because when you have growing pains, you're never sure what's going to happen. But I'm proud to say that it was an amazing festival. We had close to 8,000 people go through those gates, making it one of the larger events at Waikiki Shell. And it was just a beautiful day of just celebration and dance and performances, resources. I think we got to connect the community with lots of our partner organizations and people just really got to see a full spectrum of our community, which is important. I'm getting so much fomo right now since I missed that. I mentioned to you, I was there in 2022, but this year because of a family thing, I had to go. But thank you for describing that. I'm thinking in my head, dang it. I'm having fun. So with you working in this space, what are some lessons that you have learned that you would like to share with our viewers? Yeah, it's interesting. I think this evening we actually have our debrief meetings for Honolulu Pride. And I think that's the most important part of just any experience and any job is the reflection and how to get better. And I think what's important for us to realize is what next steps are and how we can improve it. And we have this unique opportunity to really evaluate what's working and what's not and what's beyond just a criminal or shellization of Honolulu Pride. I really want to take it to like a community level and really just listen to what people's takeaways were from that experience and how we can integrate that into our programs throughout the year. And something that I'm super excited to talk about is Pride 365 next year. It's a concept that we're going to be launching. And that really is taking LGBTQIA plus MVP fast representation and celebration outside of June and October and really dispersing that throughout the year so that our community feels like that they have representation and a safe space throughout the year, not just in those two specific months and then allowing, you know, DEI initiatives to happen throughout the year. You already talked about where the proceeds went for Pride, yes? Not yet. So, yeah, we can, I can kind of... No, don't worry. I think something that we can talk about and share is, you know, there is this huge commitment to, you know, the devastation that happened in Maui. And I think we really wanted to be cognizant of that and how we can help support our Ohana there in Lahaina and West Maui. Something that we wanted to do is throughout the first few months of the disaster, we were really focusing on creating proceeds that can go to, you know, our partners like CNHA and Hawaii Community Foundation. And what we really wanted to do is find a bigger impact as well. So, what we decided to do is create a donation for the proceeds of the gate donations at the Honolulu Pride Festival that will go to Maui AIDS Foundation. And it's really important for us to identify them as our partner because, you know, they really focus on harm reduction and mental health services there on Maui. And, you know, from experience with previous disasters, we know that as we move forward in the timeline of how to help support that community, harm reduction and mental health services are going to be so important because through a disaster, people really do struggle, you know, with PTSD and, you know, having instances of harming themselves. So, we really want to allot some of the resources to that and make sure that we create opportunities for the community to move forward and to live, you know, to get back on a path of healing. Thank you so much for highlighting that, Randy. How can people support the Hawaii LGBT Legacy Foundation? Of course. So, you know, I, as I kind of teed up, we have that Pride 365 concept coming up. I really want to urge all of you folks to visit our website, HawaiiLGBTlegacy.com. What's going to be super important about that is that highlights all of our upcoming programs and our events. And not only just a Pride 365 concept, but all of our programming like the like our Rable Town Halls. And then, you know, something that I didn't highlight too much today, but I really want to bring some focus to is we recently moved our LGBTQ Center to a amazing space in the Waikiki Business Plaza. And that's going to be something that we want the community to really utilize going forward. We really want it to be a space where people can work and live and play and find a queer safe space. So please be on the lookout for ways to utilize that space as well. I'm excited because that means you and I are going to be in the same building. Yeah. Go for brahmana. Big man, is there in a few minutes that we have left, is there anything else that you would like to add? Yeah, I mean, I think really what's important for us, you know, beyond just Pride is that we have a unique opportunity here with an organization that really is focusing on intersectionality of the community and diversity, equity and inclusion. And last week, we had this amazing Rable Town Hall with American Marketing Association that really focused on intersectionality and something that the panel touched upon, which I thought was so beautiful was that for so long, we fought for diversity, right? And I think in Hawaii, we have this amazing opportunity where we are very diverse. But I think the next step in that process is creating inclusion and equity, right? Because someone can have a seat at the table, but not necessarily feel safe and welcomed at the table. So what I think what we need to strive for as a community is really how do we create those opportunities for people to feel safe and feel productive, but also be able to thrive in their environment. And I think that's something that the Legacy Foundation's committed to doing. And I really urge everyone, you know, you can email me, you can reach out via the website, but I think it's important for us to listen to the community and figure out ways and sustainable solutions to to create that for the community, whether that be through programming or connecting resources and being the connector of that. I really love to see that be the next step in iteration of the foundation going forward. Randy, thank you so much for being on the show today. I have to admit, this has been one of my favorite conversations and you are just a wealth of knowledge. So thank you so much for everyone out there. We just had Randy Storiano, Executive Director of the Hawaii LGBT Legacy Foundation. Randy, thank you again for being on the show today. Mahalo. Of course. And thank you to Think Tech Hawaii and Jay Fiedel for making shows like this possible. Today we had Haley and Michael helping us out. Until next time. Aloha.