HI HB1526

Expands Hawaii's anti-discrimination laws to prohibit discrimination based on the perception that a person possesses protected characteristics, even if that perception is incorrect.

Prohibits discrimination based on a person's association with someone who possesses, or is perceived to possess, protected characteristics such as race, sex, religion, disability, or sexual orientation.

Codifies intersectional discrimination protections, making it unlawful to discriminate based on a combination of two or more protected characteristics (e.g., discrimination targeting someone for being both female and elderly).

Applies these expanded protections across employment, housing, public accommodations, and state-funded educational programs, amending multiple chapters of Hawaii Revised Statutes (368, 368D, 378, 489, and 515).

Follows California's 2024 legislation and the Ninth Circuit's 1994 ruling in Lam v. University of Hawaii, which recognized discrimination claims based on multiple combined factors.