Kim Coco Iwamoto (born May 26, 1968) is an American politician from

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

and member of the

Hawaii House of Representatives The Hawaii House of Representatives () is the lower house of the Hawaii State Legislature. Pursuant to Article III, Section 3 of the Constitution of Hawaii, amended during the 1978 Hawaii State Constitutional Convention, 1978 constit ...

. Iwamoto is the first transgender state legislator in Hawaii history. She was also one of the Democratic primary candidates for the position of

Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii The lieutenant governor of Hawaii () is the assistant chief executive of the U.S. state of Hawaii and its various agencies and departments, as provided in the Article V, Sections 2 though 6 of the Constitution of Hawaii. Elected by popular suff ...

in the 2018 election. 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 Scott Kazuo Saiki (born July 17, 1964) is an American attorney and politician. He has served as a Democratic member of the Hawaii House of Representatives, representing the state's 26th district. He served as majority leader from 2013 to 2017 and ...

in the Democratic primary. Iwamoto had previously run against Saiki in 2020 and 2022, losing by a slim margin both times. Iwamoto was recognized as a Champion of Change by

President Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. Ob ...

in 2013 and in 2018, ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...

'' listed her as one of fifty need-to-know pioneers for

LGBTQ rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Nota ...

. 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 Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children is a Women's and Children's hospital, It is part of Hawaii Pacific Health, Hawaiʻi Pacific Health's network of hospitals. It is located in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi within neighborhood of Mōʻiliʻili ...

during a management lockout of unionized nurses. The charges were later dismissed.

Early life and career

Iwamoto was born on the island of

Kauai Kauai (), anglicized as Kauai ( or ), is one of the main Hawaiian Islands. It has an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), making it the fourth-largest of the islands and the 21st-largest island in the United States. Kauai lies 73 m ...

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.

Education

Iwamoto attended Kaimukī Community Christian Pre-School on Oʻahu, Hōkūlani Elementary School, Aliʻiōlani Elementary School, and Hanahauʻoli School. She later attended and graduated from Saint Louis School in 1986. She went on to qualify as an Associate of Arts in Merchandising at the

Fashion Institute of Technology The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a public college under the State University of New York, in New York City. It focuses on art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry. It was founded in ...

. Subsequently, she received a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from

San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Francisco, California, United States. It was established in 1899 as the San Francisco State Normal School and is ...

and a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the

University of New Mexico School of Law The University of New Mexico School of Law (UNM Law or New Mexico Law) is the law school of the University of New Mexico, a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1947, it is the only law school in the st ...

. In 2011, Iwamoto completed Harvard University's

John F. Kennedy School of Government The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...

program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government as a

David Bohnett Foundation The David Bohnett Foundation is a private foundation that gives grants to organizations that focus on its core giving areas – primarily Los Angeles area programs and LGBT rights in the United States, as well as leadership initiatives and voter e ...

LGBTQ Victory Institute Leadership Fellow.

Family and personal life

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 LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (sexuality and gender), questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, Asexuality, asexual, ...

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. 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.

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 Nā Mamo and Hawaiʻi People's Fund. Iwamoto also co-founded the Hawaii Chamber of Sustainable Commerce, a collective of about 250 businesses as of June 2024.

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 A trans woman or transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity and may experience gender dysphoria (distress brought upon by the discrepancy between a person's gender identity and their ...

in November 2006 made her, at that time, the highest-ranking openly

transgender A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...

elected official in the United States and the first openly transgender official to win statewide office. She was reelected in 2010 with 25% more votes than in 2006. Later, Iwamoto served as a commissioner on the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, appointed by Governor

Neil Abercrombie Neil Abercrombie (born June 26, 1938) is an American politician who served as the seventh governor of Hawaii from 2010 to 2014. He is a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. Born in Buffalo, New York, Abercrombie is a ...

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.

2018 Lieutenant Governor primary election

Iwamoto announced her bid for Lieutenant Governor in November 2017. She was endorsed by the

Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization with chapters in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded in 1892, in San Francisco, by preservationist John Muir. A product of the Pro ...

of Hawaii, Victory Fund, '' Maui Time Weekly'', Our Revolution Oʻahu Chapter, Unite Here! Local 5, politician Gary Hooser, activist Mari Matsuda, and advocate and teacher Maya Soetoro-Ng, among others. She came in fourth place, losing the nomination to Senator Josh Green.

Hawaii House of Representatives

In 2020, Iwamoto ran unsuccessfully against incumbent House speaker

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. Upon taking office, she became the first openly transgender state legislator in Hawaii history.

Electoral history

2024

2022

2020

2018

2016

2010

2006

Notable national advocacy and recognition

Iwamoto was recognized as a Champion of Change by

. Iwamoto publicly opposed passage of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Proposition 8 Proposition 8, known informally as Prop 8, was a California ballot proposition and a state constitutional amendment intended to ban same-sex marriage. It passed in the November 2008 California state elections and was later overturned by the ...

, outlawing same-sex marriages in California. She has stated that Proposition 8 reminds her of her mother's

internment Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without Criminal charge, charges or Indictment, intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and believes the proposition is a violation of essential civil rights, stating, "The country has acknowledged that nternmentas 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." In 2021, Iwamoto joined with local advocates known as the Wai Ola alliance as a plaintiff in a suit against the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

to stop its plan to double line its underground fuel tanks at Red Hill. In September 2024, Iwamoto and nine others were arrested and cited for alleged obstruction at a protest at