Kim Coco Iwamoto (born May 26,1968)[1] is an American politician from Hawaii and member of the Hawaii House of Representatives. Iwamoto is the first transgender state legislator in Hawaii history.[2][a] She was also one of the Democratic primary candidates for the position of Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii in the 2018 election.[3] She previously served as a commissioner on the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission and was elected to serve two terms on the Hawaii Board of Education before winning her state house seat in 2024,unseating then-House Speaker Scott Saiki in the Democratic primary. Iwamoto had previously run against Saiki in 2020 and 2022,losing by a slim margin both times.
In September 2024,Iwamoto and nine others were arrested and cited for alleged obstruction at a protest at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children during a management lockout of unionized nurses.[6] The charges were later dismissed.[7]
Iwamoto was born on the island of Kauai and is of Japanese descent. Her mother went into labor at a private party hosted by Grace Guslander to celebrate the expansion of her Coco Palms Resort,and Iwamoto was then born the next day. Guslander visited Iwamoto's mother in the hospital with a bouquet of flowers,a card,and a request to name Iwamoto “Coco”after her hotel.
Iwamoto's paternal great-grandparents left Japan to work in the sugar cane plantations of Kauaʻi. Her paternal grandmother met her paternal grandfather at Tip-Top Restaurant on Kauai,where she was working as a cashier. The two used their family cars to start a taxi company,which eventually expanded into a tour company and a rental car company. Iwamoto's father began working for the family business in high school as a car washer,and their collective efforts became known as Roberts Hawaii.
Iwamoto's maternal grandparents left Japan to grow cantaloupe and other produce in Imperial Valley,California. During World War II,Iwamoto's mother and her family were forced into internment camps in Poston,Arizona. Iwamoto's uncles were released from the internment camp to enlist in the military to serve the United States of America. Eventually,the entire family was released and they returned to their farm. When Iwamoto's mother was in high school,she contributed to the family business by taking care of all the bookkeeping.
Volunteering and leadership
Shortly after finishing her undergraduate degree,Iwamoto moved back to New York City,where she attended the Fashion Institute of Technology. Using her own life experience as a transgender woman,she spent time volunteering at a local community center,helping youth develop leadership skills. It was here that her passions for helping homeless youth and LGBTQ homeless youth were fostered. Helping youth like the ones she worked with in New York was part of her motivation for attending law school. When she returned to Hawaii,she became a licensed therapeutic foster parent.[8] Her foster children would ask her to testify to the Hawaii Board of Education to share their experiences of being bullied and harassed as out trans and gay teenagers.[9]
Public service and business experience
Iwamoto's other work experiences include serving as Managing Attorney at Volunteer Legal Services Hawaii and facilitating affordable housing through AQuA Rentals,LLC (Affordable Quality Apartment Rentals,LLC). Her volunteer work includes serving on the board of directors for both Kūlia NāMamo and Hawaiʻi People's Fund.[10] Iwamoto also co-founded the Hawaii Chamber of Sustainable Commerce,a collective of about 250 businesses as of June 2024.[11]
Political career
Early political career
Iwamoto served two terms with the Hawaii Board of Education,Oahu-at-Large,from 2006 to 2011. Her election as a trans woman in November 2006 made her,at that time,the highest-ranking openly transgender elected official in the United States and the first openly transgender official to win statewide office.[12] She was reelected in 2010 with 25% more votes than in 2006.[13] Later,Iwamoto served as a commissioner on the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission,appointed by Governor Neil Abercrombie to serve a four-year term from 2012 to 2016.
She ran for the 13th State Senate district in 2016 but was defeated by Karl Rhoads in a three-way Democratic primary.
In 2020, Iwamoto ran unsuccessfully against incumbent House speaker Scott Saiki in the Democratic primary for the 26th State House district. She contested him again in 2022 for the 25th district, losing in both primaries by around 200 votes.
In 2024, Iwamoto won the 2024 primary against Saiki. Iwamoto was unchallenged in the general election and was elected to represent the 25th district.[23][24] Upon taking office, she became the first openly transgender state legislator in Hawaii history.[2]
Iwamoto publicly opposed passage of California's Proposition 8, outlawing same-sex marriages in California. She has stated that Proposition 8 reminds her of her mother's internment during World War II and believes the proposition is a violation of essential civil rights, stating, "The country has acknowledged that [internment] as a mistake, to just go with populous fear to oppress a specific group. I think we're going to look back at this kind of oppression as a mistake."[28]
In 2021, Iwamoto joined with local advocates known as the Wai Ola alliance as a plaintiff in a suit against the United States Navy to stop its plan to double line its underground fuel tanks at Red Hill.[29]
In September 2024, Iwamoto and nine others were arrested and cited for alleged obstruction at a protest at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children during a management lockout of unionized nurses.[6] The charges were later dismissed.[7]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
