Tonga Leitis Association | |
 | |
| Formation | 1992 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Joey Joleen Mataele |
| Website | https://tongaleiti.org/Web |
The Tonga Leitis' Association (TLA) is an advocacy and education organisation in Tonga, and is the only organisation in the country dedicated to LGBTQ+ issues.
The Tonga Leitis Association (TLA) was founded in 1992 by Joey Joleen Mataele. [1] [2] [3] Its first president was Papiloa Foliaki. [1] It was initially founded in order to support Tonga's historic fakaleiti community. [2] It is a member of the Asia Pacific Transgender Network (APTN). [4] It is the sole LGBTQ+ rights organisation in Tonga. [5] In 2021 its president, Polikalepo Kefu, was murdered. [6]
In 2016 the association campaigned for greater legal protections for LGBTQ+ Tongans; in Tonga sodomy and transvestism are punishable by up to ten years in prison. [6] Tonga's current homophobic attitudes are a product of British colonialism, despite the fact that Tonga has a rich history of transgender people, especially women, known as fakaleiti. [5] [2] [7]
The TLA runs a community centre and safehouse, which provides a safe space for the community to use, as well as raising awareness on LGBTQ+ issues. [3] [8] The association runs a safe house, called ‘Ofa he Paea’, for members of the LGBTQ+ community in Tonga who have been forced away from their homes by homophobia and transphobia. [2] [3] The centre was opened in 2013 by HRH Salote Mafile’o Pilolevu Tuita; [9] it was named by her daughter the Hon. Salote Lupepau’u Tuita. [3] It was damaged by Cyclone Gita in 2018 and had to be rebuilt. [7] The centre is the first of its kind in the Pacific. [10]
This first AIDS patient in Tonga was diagnosed in 1979 and they were a member of Tonga's fakaleiti community. [11] As of 2020, the TLA held quarterly HIV testing events across the whole country. [12]
In 2021 the TLA was awarded a grant by the UK-based charity GiveOut, in order to establish a training programme for those who run emergency shelters, to raise awareness of specific needs members of the LGBTQ+ community. [13] It also campaigns for LGBTQ+ representatives in discussions about climate change. [14]
The TLA runs the Miss Galaxy Pageant beauty pageant, which raises awareness of LGBTQ+ issues in Tonga and has become a popular event. [15] It has been closely involved with the HIV crisis in Tonga, advocating for better healthcare provision by the Tongan government. [3]
In 2018 the TLA collaborated on a one-hour documentary called Leitis in Waiting . [14] [16] It was screened at the Nuku'alofa Film Festival. [14] Its premier was at the Festival of Commonwealth Film in London. [17]
In October 2021 association president Taufu’i ‘Ae Valu Naufahu was awarded a Commonwealth Points of Light award for his exceptional voluntary service supporting the LGBTQI community. [18]
A fakaleitī is a Tongan individual assigned male at birth who has a feminine gender expression. The term fakaleitī is made up of the prefix faka- and the borrowing lady from English. Fakaleitīs themselves prefer to call themselves leitī or ladies.
Miss Galaxy Queen is a beauty pageant held in Nukuʻalofa, Tongatapu in Tonga, where contestants are members of Tonga's fakaleiti community. Organised by the Tonga Leitis' Association (TLA) it raises awareness of LGBTQ+ rights issues and has become a regular event in the Tongan cultural calendar.
Siaosi ʻAlipate Halakilangi Tau’alupeoko Vaea Tupou, more commonly known as Baron Vaea, was a Tongan politician who served as Prime Minister of Tonga. Vaea was a nephew of Queen Sālote, who ruled Tonga from 1918 until 1965, and a member of the Tongan nobility. His career in the Tongan government spanned 54 years.
Papiloa Foliaki is a Tongan former politician. She initially worked as a nurse, headed a nurses' union, and "led Tonga's first ever strike". She then went into business, as owner and operator of the Friendly Islander Hotel. In 1978, she was elected as a People's Representative to the Legislative Assembly of Tonga – the second woman ever to sit in the Tongan Parliament, after Princess Si'uilikutapu (1975–78). Foliaki served until 1981. She co-founded the Tonga Leitis' Association, the only organisation in Tonga dedicated to LGBT rights.
Siosa'ia Ma'ulupekotofa Tuita is a Tongan royal and diplomat. He is the current Chief Tuita, Lord Tuita.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Tonga face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Male homosexuality is illegal in Tonga, with a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment, but the law is not enforced.
Princess Royal Salote Mafile'o Pilolevu, The Honourable Lady Tuita is a Tongan princess and member of the Tongan royal family.
Siaosi (George) Manumataongo ʻAlaivahamamaʻo ʻAhoʻeitu Konstantin Tukuʻaho is the crown prince of Tonga. Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala became heir apparent to the throne in March 2012 upon the accession of his father, Tupou VI, as King of Tonga.
The Most Illustrious Order of Queen Sālote Tupou III is a knighthood order of the Kingdom of Tonga.
The Tonga National Museum is a national museum located in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga.
Fakahau Valu is a former Tongan rugby union player. He played as a flanker.
Hinaleimoana Kwai Kong Wong-Kalu, also known as Kumu Hina, is a Native Hawaiian māhū – a traditional third gender person who occupies "a place in the middle" between male and female, as well as a modern transgender woman. She is known for her work as a kumu hula, as a filmmaker, artist, activist, and as a community leader in the field of Kanaka Maoli language and cultural preservation. She teaches Kanaka Maoli philosophy and traditions that promote cross-cultural alliances throughout the Pacific Islands. Kumu Hina is known as a "powerful performer with a clear, strong voice"; she has been hailed as "a cultural icon".
Joey Joleen Mataele is an activist for the rights of transgender women from Tonga.
Leitis In Waiting is a 2018 feature-length documentary about transgender rights in Tonga. It was produced and directed by Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson and Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu. The filmmakers previously explored trans rights in the Pacific in their films Kumu Hina and A Place in the Middle.
Joseph Hall Wilson is an American film director and producer, best known for documentaries and impact campaigns that explore oppression and empowerment among gender and sexual minority communities. He has received an Emmy, GLAAD Media and several film festival awards, and his work has been supported by the Sundance Institute, Ford Foundation, ITVS and Pacific Islanders in Communications.
Phylesha Brown-Acton is a Niuean fakafifine LGBTQ+ rights activist. In 2019, she was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit to recognize her work with LGBTQ+ communities from the Pacific countries.
Fakafifine are people from Niue, who were born assigned male at birth but who have a feminine gender expression. In Niue this is understood as a third gender, culturally specific to the country.
Vakasalewalewa are people from Fiji, who were assigned male at birth but who have a feminine gender expression. In Fiji, this is understood as a traditional third gender identity, culturally specific to the country.
Prince Fatafehi Alaivahamamao Tuku'aho, styled Lord Ma'atu was a Tongan Prince and member of the Tongan Royal Family.
Titilupe Fanetupouvava'u Tuita-Tupou Tu'ivakano is a Tongan diplomat, who is the High Commissioner of Tonga to the United Kingdom, Ambassador to the Netherlands, and Ambassador to Luxembourg.