Aloha friends — I’m posting an urgent update because we have a major opportunity right now.

A Shield Law bill (HB1875) to protect gender-affirming healthcare is in front of the Hawai‘i State Legislature and will be heard in Committee on Wednesday, 2/11 at 2:00 PM HST (Room 329 or via Zoom).

This is our best chance to pass a law that protects patients, families, and providers from out-of-state attacks and political interference.

✅ You can help in 2 quick ways (even if you don’t live in Hawai‘i)

Important: You do NOT need to be a Hawai‘i resident to submit testimony. If you’re concerned about your safety & privacy, you can use a pseudonym when submitting testimony.

1) Submit testimony (or RE-SUBMIT) — do this now

VERY IMPORTANT: If you already submitted testimony earlier, you must re-submit for the new hearing date or it won’t count for this hearing. See below.

On-time deadline: Tuesday 2/10 at 2:00 PM HST

(Submissions after that may still be accepted, but marked “late.”)

How to submit testimony:

1. Go to capitol.hawaii.gov and Login/Register.
   Under Participate, click Submit Testimony.
2. Enter bill number: HB1875
3. Choose SUPPORT.
4. Select WRITTEN ONLY or ORAL + WRITTEN (in-person or Zoom). Accepted file types: .doc, .docx, .pdf, .rtf, .txt, .odt

If you already submitted and need to re-submit (fast method):

• Go to the Submit Testimony page → search HB1875 → click VIEW
• Copy your previous testimony from the confirmation page
• Paste it into a new submission for the updated hearing date

HB1875 bill page (hearing + testimony info)

2) Call legislators — fill voicemail boxes with SUPPORT

A coordinated opposition phone-blitz is likely. One of the most effective tactics is simple:

📞 Fill voicemail boxes with supportive messages so misinformation can’t dominate.

If you can only call a few, please prioritize these (in order):

Committee Chairs / Vice Chairs (TOP priority)

• Gregg Takayama (Chair, Health) — 808-586-6340
  Sue Keohokapu-Lee Loy (Vice Chair, Health) — 808-586-6120
• Scot Matayoshi (Chair, CPC) — 808-586-8470
• Tina Grandinetti (Vice Chair, CPC) — 808-586-6310

“Wildcard members” (need extra attention, we don’t know how they will vote)

Ikaika Olds — 808-586-8515
Daisy Hartsfield — 808-586-6520
Cory Chun — 808-586-6170

Other members who benefit from calls

Sam Kong — 808-586-8455
Jenna Takenouchi — 808-586-9415
Terez Amato — 808-586-8525
Lisa Marten — 808-586-9450
Nicole Lowen — 808-586-8400

Supportive members (still helpful to call so support is logged)

Linda Ichiyama — 808-586-6220
Greggor Ilagan — 808-586-6530
Kim Coco Iwamoto — 808-586-8485
Adrian Tam — 808-586-8520

Simple voicemail script (make it your own):

“Aloha, my name is ___ and I’m calling from/because ___.

Please support HB1875 to protect access to gender-affirming care and reproductive healthcare. This matters because ___.

Mahalo for your time and your support.”

(For Chairs: “Thank you for giving HB1875 a hearing.”)

✅ Bill Summary (PDF)

✍️ Sample Testimony Guide (PDF)
📞 Urgent Call to Action / Details (PDF)

🌈 Final ask

If you’ve signed this petition, please take 5 minutes today:

1. Submit (or re-submit) testimony by Tuesday 2/10 at 2pm HST
2. Call at least 1–3 legislators and leave a supportive voicemail
3. And please share this update — support from outside Hawai‘i genuinely helps.

Mahalo for standing with our māhū, trans, and gender-diverse community. ❤️

Abby Simmons (she/her) - Civil Rights Advocate