Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu

Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, also known as Kumu Hina, is a native Hawaiian transgender woman or māhū, a Hawaiian term referring to individuals who embody both male and female spirit^[1][2][3][4] She is known for her work as a kumu (kumu translates in Hawaiian as teacher), cultural practitioner, and community leader.^[5] She has been described as a “powerful performer with a clear, strong voice”.^[6]

Hinaleimoana was born in the Nuuanu district of Oʻahu.^[7] She attended Kamehameha School (1990) and the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa (1996–2004) where she started her service and leadership to the Hawaiian community.^[8] She was a founder of the Kulia Na Mamo transgender health project, cultural director of a Hawaiian public charter school, and candidate for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, one of the first transgender candidates for statewide political office in the United States. She also served as the Chair of the O'ahu Island Burial Council, which oversees the management of Native Hawaiian burial sites and ancestral remains.

Wong-Kalu was the subject of the feature documentary film Kumu Hina, directed by Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson.^[9][10] Kumu Hina premiered as the closing night film in the Hawaii International Film Festival in 2014 and won several awards on the festival circuit including best documentary at the Frameline Film Festival. It was nationally broadcast on PBS in 2015 where it won the Independent Lens Audience Award. An educational children's version of the film, A Place in the Middle premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival for Kids and is featured on PBS learning media.

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