PRIDE Hilo

Pride Hilo is a Registered Independent Student Organization (RISO) at University of Hawai`i at Hilo that serves both UH Hilo and Hawai`i Community College. Pride Hilo is comprised of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning/queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA) students as well as heterosexual allies on both campuses.

Pride Hilo was formed in 1991 as the first organized campus based support network for the LGBTIQA people on the island of Hawai`i. The mission of Pride Hilo is to advocate for LGBTQIA issues across UH campuses and the greater Hawai`i community, as well as provide social networking for students on campus.

We encourage any individuals looking for support or more information about the club to contact our current President, Hannah Flanery, at: hflanery@hawaii.edu or visit her at the UH Women's Center, Campus Center 312.

Fall 2013 was a busy semester for Pride Hilo. We coordinated the first National Coming Out Day event on campus, participated in the Clothesline Project, which was run by the Women’s Center during Domestic Violence Awareness Week, walked in Domestic Violence Family Peace Walk and Vigil, participated in the weeklong sign waving rallying urging special session to pass marriage equality in Hawai`i, trained in suicide prevention through QPR training, learned who to be an ally through Safe Zone training, attended YWCA training in advocacy for SB1, and organized the first Transgender Day of Remembrance and Vigil in collaboration with the Women’s Center on campus.

Pride doesn’t plan on slowing down! Last semester we did many things but our work is far from over. Until every student and staff member knows Pride is a safe place for support for LGBT students; until the LGBT community has equal and protective civil rights; until UH Hilo has an LGBT Center; until all student and staff members have attended Safe Zone training; until LGBT children no longer feel they are a mistake; until “coming out of the closet” isn’t a big deal; until teachers can freely educate their students on different types of family units; until transgender people can easily obtain hormone replacement therapy; until everyone knows the difference between “gender” and “sex”; until asking and using a person’s preferred pronouns is a social norm; until gender neutral housing becomes available for on-campus housing; until the LGBT community is united within itself; until there are no longer hate crimes of any kind; until hate speech is eradicated; until LGBT people no longer feel like they have to take their own life; until the entire WORLD is not only accepting but SUPPORTIVE of LGBT.

Pride’s work is far from over.