Critics charge
bigotry against gays
on Maui

They point to cancellation
of a female impersonator show
at the county fair

By Gary T. Kubota
Star-Bulletin

WAILUKU -- Some critics say the religious right is having an increasing influence in Maui politics, especially against gays.

As an example, they point to the cancellation of a performance by female impersonators at the county fair last Saturday.

"I think it's unfortunate. The bigotry or the prejudice of the majority can have its way over minorities," said attorney Dan Foley, who has represented the American Civil Liberties Union in Hawaii.

"Politicians play with rights and clearly disregard them if the majority says do it."

Residents who protested the county fair performance by the Cosmetix say the group's act was inappropriate for an audience that included children.

Lisa Wilson, a Lahaina resident and mother of six children, said she attends church and objects to the homosexual lifestyle.

Dale Kreps, president of the Maui Christian Ministers Association, said Christians are becoming more vocal because of the drift toward a lack of moral standards in society.

"With the incredible shift in America toward moral relativism, Christians feel compelled to respond and to call attention to Biblical standards of morality, and consequently are willing to denounce immorality," Kreps said.

Foley says the county fair is not the first incident against gays.

In 1985, Mayor Hannibal Tavares pulled a park permit for a gay beauty pageant on Molokai, saying it wasn't "wholesome." The event was part of a fund-raiser for a hula halau.

The county was forced to reissue the permit after U.S. District Judge Harold Fong agreed with the ACLU that Tavares' action violated constitutional rights to free speech.

The county paid some $10,000 in attorney fees to Foley, who was the lawyer for the ACLU.

Avery Chumbley, president of the Maui County Fair and a state senator, said he canceled the Cosmetix performance after reviewing objections about its content.

"I don't see this as a taking of minority rights." he said. "This issue is whether this is appropriate entertainment for a family event. Their individual civil rights were not violated in any way."

Chumbley said he made the decision to cancel the performance because it was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Saturday, when children would be in the audience.

But the Cosmetix say members feel they have been victims of discrimination. They have filed a complaint with the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission.

"I don't believe it was because of the nature of the act," said director Michael Kroell, whose stage name is Guava Chiffon.

"I think there was some perception we were homosexuals. It's unfair to label us as a group of transvestites or homosexuals."

Kroell said while he and some of the performers are gay, others are not, including women and a man who perform in different lineups at night clubs.

Kroell said the county fair board was aware of the nature of the group's act and approved it, but threats of a protest at the entertainment tent prompted the cancelation.

Cosmetix member Brad Taguipad, known by the stage name Ariana Aventi, said the performance was adjusted for a children's audience and the group spent considerable money preparing for the event.

Vanessa Chong, ACLU executive director, said constitutional rights may not apply in this instance because a private group, not a government entity, discriminated against the Cosmetix. However, she said the Cosmetix could argue their fair employment rights were violated by the cancellation.