The tide seems to have turned in favor of those advocating for transgender rights, as well as for equality regardless of sexual orientation, and this has been a banner week. Nationally the military is moving on a study about lifting the ban on transgender members of the service.

Hawaii has taken its own big step with Gov. David Ige signing a law allowing transgender residents to change their gender marker on their birth certificates without first having gender reassignment surgery.

And as it happened with the same-sex marriage issue, this generally progressive state lagged in making this policy switch.

Hawaii had been among the roughly onethird of states that required the surgery first. Better late than never.

School board sets eyes on campuses

Gov. David Ige is starting to make good on his campaign promise to empower public-school principals, teachers and staff to do what is best for their students.

In appointing Honolulu banker Lance Mizumoto as the new chairman of the statewide Board of Education, the governor emphasized that Mizumoto is a collaborative leader committed to school-based decision making.

Many education advocates say that local authority had diminished over the past few years as Hawaii’s Department of Education exerted centralized oversight.