The Tonga Leitis Association are Tonga’s only organisation focused on transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming communities. Leitis are transfeminine and gender non-conforming people traditionally working as domestic servants for the Tongan royal family. However, leitis are often shunned and face incarceration. Tonga criminalises cross-dressing and sodomy, which carry sentences of up to 10 years. For Trans Awareness Week, we spoke with Joey Joleen Mataele, the Executive Director of the Tonga Leitis Association about their working in closing the generation gap between SOGIESC people in Tonga and how allyship needs to extend further than the trans community.
Could you introduce yourself and the work of the organisation? Why were you established?
My name is Joey Joleen Mataele. I’m the Executive Director and co-founder of the Tonga Letits Association. The Tonga Leitis Association was established in 1992 with the intention to recognise the contribution of our members to the Tonga community. Throughout the years, TLA has committed to improving the health and rights of people with diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics, in Tonga and across the pacific. TLA was incorporated in 2013 under the Tonga Society Act, as the only non-profit organisation that represents and works with SOGIESC people. The primary focus of the TLA is health education, law reform, capacity building and development, infrastructure, and facility. These thematic areas represent priorities that will pave the way to achieving our mission and vision.
“The primary focus of the TLA is health education, law reform, capacity building and development, infrastructure, and facility. These thematic areas represent priorities that will pave the way to achieving our mission and vision.”
What important successes have you had an organisation or movement?
The first consultation on law reform for the LGBT community was held in 2016. In 2017, a movie was developed for the Tonga Leitis Association called ‘The Leitis in Waiting’ that was the first movie that campaigns for the equality of leitis and LGBT people in the Pacific. TLA started awareness on HIV and AIDS and testing in 1994 which was funded by Miss Galaxy until 2017 when TLA started getting funds from the Global Fund by UNDP and the Ministry of Health. We developed the HIV guidelines for the public; we did an anti-discrimination survey and that was completed in 2019. Last year, the call for action was the first draft on reform required by laws that discriminate against women and children, youth persons with living with disabilities, and LGBT community. This year, we developed and launched our gender-based violence referral pathway, and the full Tongan translations of the SOGIESC guidelines will be officially launched next year.
What are some of the major challenges that the trans community faces now within your context?
We see that bullying will continue to be a big problem for the SOGIESC community because there’s no law that specifically prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity – or addressed as hate crime. The prevalence of accepting attitudes towards people living with HIV is low because leitis are always being stigmatised; the first HIV case here in Tonga was a leiti that was brought in by the family from the United States to die here – because of that, we were blamed. One of the main things that we see as a challenge now and we’re really trying to focus on is elderly LGBTQI adults that have higher levels of psychological distress as compared to older adults in general. There quite a lot of them, there’s about 30 of them altogether who are living here now. We’re working on a retreat for them and bringing them together so the young ones can hear their stories, learn from them, and see what they can do to look after them.
“ TLA is committed to the concept of equality and leaving no one behind, ensuring that not only SOGIESC people, but everyone is treated equally.”
What does the future look like for trans rights in your region or globally?
There are about four areas that we see as important: equality, diversity, respect, and integrity. TLA is committed to the concept of equality and leaving no one behind, ensuring that not only SOGIESC people, but everyone is treated equally, and they’re not discriminated against based on their characteristics. Everyone should have the fundamental human rights to equal access and opportunity to education, health, and employment. We need to recognise the diversity of SOGIESC people and strive towards encouraging inclusiveness and the involvement of diverse members from all around Tonga. TLA will ensure transparency and accountability in its procedures and work with partners through open communications and Democratic involvement of members and staff.
On Trans Awareness Week, what is a central message you want the world and allies to know?
We want a kingdom and a world that is understanding and accepting of people with diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and expressions. We want our voices to be heard. We want rights for those facing discrimination based on their sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, and of course, sex characteristics. We need their voices to be heard. We need to promote and raise awareness. This is not just the LGBT or the SOGIESC community’s job. We need everyone to raise awareness of sexual health, wellbeing, rights of persons of diversity through comprehensive peer education, close engagement with relevant stakeholders, and government of similar interests. We need to uphold the principles of beings, justice, and moral positive virtue.
“We want a kingdom and a world that is understanding and accepting of people with diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and expressions.”
How can allies best support the trans community?
I see TLA as the role model for all LGBT. We are a trans led organisation for all LGBTQI, even LBT women, they’re all under the TLA. We need to create that friendly community so that everybody can be comfortable. You cannot be trans and concentrate on trans people only. When we talk about rainbow family, here in the Pacific, when we talk about family, we talk about everybody. We need to be more open minded that we become allies of everybody. When we respect those people, give care and support to those people, you get that back from somewhere else. For us to accomplish the work that we are so passionate about, of course, we all need the resourcing and funding of our work to get this dream accomplished, you know? But the most important richness comes from inside you. Money cannot buy love. Money cannot buy family. I always say that love will conquer all. But we need to make sure that with all the work that we do, it’s done in a way that we pay forward what has been done for us. We need love. We need passion, we need support. Just love everyone, no matter what they are, no matter what colour they are. They just need to have love and passion in their heart, that is the only way we can accomplish this.