LGBT supporters rally for equality in Honolulu, joining nationwide marches
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Supporters of LGBT rights gathered at the state capitol on Sunday for the Honolulu Equality March for Unity and Pride.
The event falls on the eve of the one year anniversary of the Pulse night club shooting in Orlando that claimed 49 lives along with the 50th anniversary of the supreme court ruling that struck down bans on interracial marriage.
"We have come a long way in the last half century since Stonewall Inn and since the birth of our movement, but there are so many issues we are still working on," said rally organizer Alex Miller.
Hundreds marched through Honolulu carrying rainbow flags and signs reading "In Memory of Trans Lives Lost" and "We Dream Equality."
State Representative Chris Lee was among them.
"We're here for folks who are finding themselves iced out of bathrooms because of gender identity issues and iced out of healthcare decisions and coverage in other states," Lee said. "These things are real for people and we want to recommit here in this state to make sure everyone is taken care of and treat everyone with respect and aloha."
The Honolulu event coincided with roughly 100 sister marches and rallies across the U.S.
While many came celebrate friends and family, others rallied to demonstrate resistance to President Donald Trumps' administration.
In February, the president repealed guidelines that allowed students to use school bathrooms and locker rooms corresponding to their gender identity.
"There are hate crimes against LGBT people and violence against LGBT-identifying people are on the rise and it's a real problem," Miller said.
Several speakers addressed the crowd in Honolulu including local comedian Pashyn Santos and her wife Wendy.
They shared this advice for anyone who experience bullying or hate: "Block it out. Block all of that out like a negative comment on your social media, delete it and move forward because it's about what you tell yourself and what you surround yourself with. So surround yourself with the positive and you will attract yourself with the positive."
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