Dear Blog Author: Are You A Boy Or A Girl?

BACKGROUND INFO

I used to walk the streets in downtown Honolulu, adjacent to and kind of mingling with Chinatown. The first time I saw this area summer 1994 , I was amazed at the poor quality of the buildings and how far removed (socially) the downtown area was from Waikiki. They’ve started gentrifying the area by bringing in trendy eateries, clubs, that sort of thing. But the hardcore homeless/drug/prostitution area is still on Kukui Street. I will take some pics with my phone yo show you, dear Readers. In the early 2000’s the market was lively. Lots of sex workers. Women, and men who self-identified as women in dress and self promotion. They were called mahus then but I think that night be a derogatory term that’s been replaced by TG or TS. Locals and informed visitors knew one could buy someone’s time there. The prices were way cheaper ($20 vs $200) and the workers were out all day every day not just at night.