As director of the LGBTQ+ Center at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Camaron Miyamoto has spent more than two decades uplifting and empowering LGBTQIA+ students—work that was recently recognized at the Hawaiʻi LGBT Legacy Foundation’s Vision Without Limits gala on April 3.
…the true honor is to work for the success of LGBTQ+ students…
—Cameron Miyamoto
Miyamoto was one of three honorees recognized for their visionary leadership and commitment to creating a safer, more inclusive Hawaiʻi. The other honorees were Gregory Dunn and Laurie Mizuno, both celebrated for their significant contributions to the LGBTQIA+ community.
“Words can’t express how meaningful this honor is to me,“ Miyamoto said. “It’s humbling to have my contributions to our students at UH and our larger LGBTQ+ community recognized. But for me, the true honor is to work for the success of LGBTQ+ students at UH Mānoa on a daily basis.”
Lifelong commitment to inclusion
Miyamoto launched UH Mānoa’s LGBTQ+ Center in 2002 and has led the center ever since. At the center, Miyamoto has created a supportive space for LGBTQIA+ students, offering programs, counseling and advocacy to promote inclusion and success on campus.
He began his advocacy as a graduate student at UH, drawn to the movement for marriage equality. The rise in harassment and lack of protections in schools at the time fueled his passion for making education safer for LGBTQ+ youth.
As a founding board member of the Hawaiʻi LGBT Legacy Foundation, Miyamoto helped establish the LGBT Center Waikīkī and revitalize the Honolulu Pride Parade and Festival. Today, he supports the foundation’s expansion of programs that serve traditionally underserved groups, especially kūpuna and māhū.
Miyamoto’s efforts extend beyond campus. He has served on national and local boards, including the Japanese American Citizens League, and has shared his scholarship on queer people of color through publications and national conferences. He earned his MA in American studies from UH Mānoa and his doctorate in educational and professional practice from Antioch University.
The Vision Without Limits gala supports the foundation’s PRIDE365 initiative, which promotes year-round programs like Rainbow Support Circle and Queer Women’s Initiative.
