Hawaii lawmakers honor Bretman Rock for positive impact
By Bryan Ke
Filipino American influencer Bretman Rock was recently honored while visiting the Hawaii State Capitol for his positive impact on the Hawaiian, Filipino American and the LGBTQ+ community.
Key points:
- Democratic Gov. Josh Green and Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke welcomed the 25-year-old influencer in Hawaii on Wednesday. Green commended Rock for breaking barriers and for inspiring people from around the world, while Luke called the Honolulu-based social media personality a “treasure to Hawai’i” whose “authenticity inspires us all to be our truest selves.”
- Rock shared his trip on his Instagram on Friday, where he thanked Hawaii’s House of Representatives, noting that he “never thought this would ever happen.”
- Darius Kila (D, Hawaii-44) facilitated Rock’s visit to the state capitol.
The details:
- The House of Representatives convened its floor session in the afternoon by recognizing Rock for his achievements. Some of the lawmakers who spoke during the ceremony include Rachele Lamosao (D, Hawaii-36), Adrian Tam (D, Hawaii-22) and Kila.
- Rock was presented with a gavel and adorned with a lei during the recognition. He also shared his story about being a Filipino immigrant and a member of the LGBTQ+ community in the United States.
- Speaking at the event, Kila said of Rock, “Your influence reaches far beyond our shorelines and you’ve touched the lives of countless individuals across Hawaii and beyond, inspiring us all to embrace our uniqueness and celebrate our individuality.”
- While at the Capitol, Rock, who was born in the Philippines but raised in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, noted how there are “three rocks in Hawaii: Barack, the Rock and Bretman Rock.”
About the star:
- Rock, who has a combined following of approximately 35 million across all of his social media platforms, rose to fame for his beauty vlogs and humorous makeup tutorials on YouTube and Vine.
- He is also known for championing Filipino and Filipino American representation, such as when he defended the Filipino delicacy balut after it was ranked on the TasteAtlas website as one of the worst egg dishes in the world in 2022.
- Some of the achievements he received over the years include being named one of Time’s 30 most influential teens of 2017, being included in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia- Media, Marketing and Advertising list and winning a People’s Choice Award for beauty influencer of the year in 2019 and an MTV Breakthrough Social Star award in 2021.
- Rock, who was named brand ambassador for Beyonce‘s hair care line, Cecred, in February, made history by appearing as the first-ever openly gay male cover model for Playboy in 2021 and on the Vogue Philippines’ first Pride cover in 2023.
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