Tonga’s transgender community fights for visibility from the conservative kingdom
Nuku’alofa: Transgender women and gender-diverse ‘leitis’ in the conservative Pacific Island Kingdom of Tonga say, “they cannot be silent anymore” about their fight for visibility. Joey Joleen Mataele is one of many in Tonga’s island chain who identifies as a fakaleiti or simply leiti, which translates roughly from Tongan as “like a lady”.
“The role of leitis in our society is more of a housewives role, a domestic worker, we’re known in the public eye in our churches and for helping the youth programmes, but when it comes to our personal choices, that’s when the barriers start,” she told the ABC’s Pacific Beat programme. Leitis often identify as women or men who dress and behave in a feminine way, but mainly don’t identify as either men or women.
Ms Mataele is the president of the Tongan Leitis Association, a group at the centre of a new documentary released at the weekend in London called Leitis in Waiting, a year-long exploration of what life is like for transgender women in the country. “I think this is a great achievement for us to be able to do this. And it’s a tool that we will be able to use.” Tonga’s leitis outlawed, shunned and face jail time. Ms Mataele’s father was a politician and a member of Tonga’s elite, and her family has a close relationship with the country’s royal family. In the documentary, Tonga’s Princess Salote Lupepau’u Tuita describes her mother’s relationship with a young Joey. Yet despite her connections in the upper echelons of Tongan society, her place within the community remains a struggle.
While in some cases leitis are accepted as caretakers and workers, they are also outlawed, shunned and even face jail time.