Queen’s Surf Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii

In the 1970s, Queen’s Surf Beach in Waikiki became a popular gathering and organizing space for members of Hawaiʻi’s diverse LGBTQ+ Māhū communities. It was a place where people could relax and be themselves in a society where sexual and gender diversity were just beginning to be openly discussed. Unlike most gay beaches of that era, it was highly visible to the public, emblematic of Hawaiʻi’s relatively accepting environment. Activity at the beach began to slow down in the late 1980s due to the arrival of HIV/AIDS. This downward trend continued as phone apps replaced traditional cruising, and as queer people became more comfortable being themselves at a variety of beaches. Today, a new generation of queer young people are reclaiming Queen’s Surf Beach as a place of LGBTQ+ Māhū gathering and community through monthly potlucks organized by the Māhūi, a subgroup of the Hawaiʻi LGBT Legacy Foundation. Queen's Surf Beach is marked by an historical plaque contributed to the City and County of Honolulu by Lei Pua Ala Queer Histories of Hawai'i. The beach is open to the public and everyone is welcome.

Read it at Atlas Obscura ↗

← Front page