b'C E L E B R I T Y S P O T L I G H T I N T E R V I E WKim Coco Iwamoto LGBTQI ActivistI n 2006, when voters in Hawaii elected Kim Coco Iwamoto to the states Board of Education, she became the highest-ranking elected official in the United States who openly identified astransgender. In 2012, the Hawaii Governor appointed her to the State Civil Rights Commission, and in 2013, the Obama White House honored Commissioner Iwamoto as a Champion ofChange for her commitment to equality and public service. Today, there is so much transgender visibility but what was it like to be born trans in the 1960s?When I was born, my parents named me Kim Coco. They gave my four brothers names that are more typical: Scott, Troy, Mark & Chad. Whether I grew into my name poses a chickenWhat did your mothers and grandparents experience in or egg quagmire, but no one in my family contests the fact thatthe internment camps do to inform your purpose in life?I, as a child, vibrated at a different gender frequency than my brothers. After experiencing government-sanctioned discrim-I was thirteen years old when the all-boys catholic school Iination for being trans, I felt I gained a deeper un-attended notified my parents that I was transsexual (thederstanding of the injustice and indignity my mother umbrella term transgender had not been coined at that time.)experienced when she was imprisoned by the U.S. That same day, my parents took me to a psychiatrist to fix me.for being Japanese American.Fortunately for me, the doctor assured my parents that I did notI recalled all those memories my mother shared need to be fixed. Instead, he instructed my parents to makewith me, I felt I was finally able to hear the unspoken sure I felt loved and supported because kids who felt rejectedshame woven through her stories about her child-by their families are more likely to commit suicide. hood spent in the internment camp.My father, who normally does not verbalize his feelings, told meIt made me sad and angry. The feeling that all your he would love and support me no matter what I chose to be inneighbors, the rest of the country knew what was life: a teacher, a bus driver, a lawyer, a man or a woman. Thatgoing on but no one objected, no one was willing was all I needed to hear to fortify my self-esteem and developto stop the irrational injustice. My mother swallowed the resiliency to deflect any negativity coming my way.the pain as humiliation and sublimated the grief with I thrived. I was class president at that all-boys school andgratitude and patriotism; she became a super-as-graduated with all kinds of awards, including the Principalssimilator. Award that went to just one student of distinction. I consideredI finally understood why she had such conflicting it the Jesuits way of saying, You go, girl!emotions about me: contempt and pride, having the audacity to be my authentic self and expect equal opportunities and access.What led you to activism in the LGBTQI arena?I grew up working for the family company, alongside the 1400What should corporations be doing to further theirworkers my father employed. The workforce was diverse and in- diversity and inclusion, from your perspective?cluded a trans woman in a supervisory position. I had no reason to believe I would not be able to achieve my career goals justDiversity and inclusion should be more than just because I was trans.window dressing. Too often, we see corporations Therefore, it came a shock to me when I was constructively termi- filling the lowest-paid positions with workers from nated from a dream job I was working in New York Citys fashionthe most marginalized communities, while saving the industry in the early 90s. My boss told me that a corporate clienthighest-paid positions for those who have historically was not comfortable working with me because they discoveredbeen the most privileged. that I was trans. This kind of social injustice and the economicWe also see some corporations promote execu-impact on my ability to support myself was a wake-up call. tives who are model minorities: women who have I attended a free legal clinic at the community center near mydemonstrated their loyalty to the patriarchy or racial home and discovered that this kind of employment discriminationminorities who best assimilate to colonizer culture. was legal - the law protected the employers right to discriminateCorporate leaders who have benefited the mostagainst transgender employees.from historical sexism, racism, homophobia and transphobia must continually assess whether their I decided to go to law school to learn how laws were made;discomfort level is being challenged; if they are not more importantly, learn how to change these laws so othersfeeling out of place or out-numbered, then they are would not have to suffer the injustice and indignity. failing in their efforts to truly diversify their workplace.22 visions Winter 2021 Sumitomo Corporation of Americas'