Kim Coco Iwanoto is Hawai’i’s first openly transgender state lawmaker. She is yonsei, which translates from Japanese to fourth-generation descendant or a great-grandchild of Japanese citizens. She was born in Kauaʻi during a party hosted by her mother’s friend, the owner of the Hotel Coco Palms Resort, unexpectedly– her mother gave birth to Kim 1 month early. Kim was given the name Coco, after this resort.

Kim lived and worked for years in the family company before attending the New York Fashion Institute of Technology. After graduating, she pursued further education in San Francisco and traveled, eventually returning again to New York City. Here she became an avid supporter and ally for homeless youth in NYC especially LGBT youth, and volunteered at a community center for six years.

She returned home and became the first openly transgender member of the Hawaiʻi State Board of Education from 2006 – 2011. In August 2024, she defeated her opponent for the Democratic primary, with no Republican opponent, and served as the State House Speaker for Hawai’i in 2024, the state’s first openly transgender state lawmaker.