Faʻafafine


Faʻafāfine are natal males who align with a third gender or feminine gender role in the Sāmoan Islands. Faʻafāfine are not assigned the role at birth, nor raised as girls due to a lack of daughters, as is often claimed in western media. Rather, their femininity emerges in early childhood, and Sāmoans recognize them as distinct from typical boys.
Faʻafāfine are androphilic and are usually very feminine. They comprise up to 3.5% of the natal male population, similar to the number of androphilic natal males in the west.
Most self-identify as faʻafāfine, rather than men, while a small number identify as women. However, they recognize that they are distinct from females.
Faʻafāfine enjoy relatively high levels of acceptance in Sāmoa. They can be seen in all areas of Sāmoan society, whether assisting as caregivers or working in government. Sāmoa's former Prime Minister Malielegaoi spoke publicly about the value of faʻafāfine in Sāmoan society.

History and terminology

The word faʻafāfine includes the causative prefix faʻa–, meaning "in the manner of", and the word fafine, meaning "woman". It is a cognate of related words in other Polynesian languages, such as, the, and. Ultimately, Western terms like gay and transgender overlap but do not align exactly with Samoan gender terms found in the traditional culture of Sāmoa.
The Sāmoan slang word mala is a less-common term for faʻafāfine, originating in fundamentalist-influenced homophobia and transphobia.
Strong evidence points to Samoa being under matriarchal rule for centuries before contact with Europeans. Queen Salamasina, holder of four paramount chief titles, ascended the throne in the 16th century through the shrewd maneuvering of the powerful female chieftains around her. Samoa continues to value the leadership roles of women and third gender people. There is no restriction on the transfer of chiefly titles to women or fa'afafine, and there is a substantial list of past and present faʻafafine chiefs.
The history of faʻafāfine is difficult to trace. Nafanua, the female warrior and chief of Samoan early history, is sometimes held up as an icon of faʻafāfine. Since the 1980s, the Sāmoan diaspora has given faʻafāfine a higher profile outside Samoa.
Paul L. Vasey, Professor of Psychology at the University of Lethbridge, has claimed that the existence of faʻafafine supports the evolutionary psychology hypothesis of a gene that directs kin-directed altruism, which proposes that androphilia could be passed down because it is societally advantageous to have non-traditional roles. The hypothesis contends that the existence of androphilia may serve the evolutionary purpose of providing avunculate support for related kin, meaning that families that include faʻafafine and members in other non-traditional roles, such as unmarried aunts and uncles, would have more time and resources to dedicate to the success of their kin.

Role in Samoan society

The existence of a third gender is so well-accepted in Sāmoan culture that most Sāmoans state that they have friendships with at least one faʻafāfine. However, faʻafāfine are not fully accepted in all parts of the community, such as by some fundamentalist Christian groups and traditional leaders.
Sāmoan popular culture views faʻafafine as hard-working and dedicated to the family, in the Sāmoan tradition of tautua or service to family. Ideas of the family in Sāmoa and Polynesia include all the members of a sā, or communal family within the faʻamatai family system. Traditionally, faʻafāfine follow the training of the women's daily work in an aiga. Faʻafāfine state that they "loved" engaging in feminine activities as children, such as playing with female peers, playing female characters during role play, dressing in feminine clothes, and playing with female gender-typical toys. This is in contrast to women who stated that they merely "liked" engaging in those activities as children. Some faʻafāfine recall believing they were girls in childhood. In Sāmoa, there is very seldom ridicule or displeasure towards a biologically male child who states that they are a girl. One study showed only a minority of parents tried to stop their faʻafafine children from engaging in feminine behaviour. Being pushed into the male gender role is upsetting to many faʻafāfine. A significant number stated that they "hated" masculine play, such as rough games and sports, even more than females did as children.
Faʻafāfine have sexual relationships almost exclusively with men who do not identify as faʻafāfine. However, sexual relations between people assigned male at birth is a crime in Sāmoa.

Society of Faʻafāfine in American Sāmoa and the Samoa Faʻafāfine Association

The Society of Faʻafāfine in American Sāmoa or describes itself as an organisation dedicated to balancing both Samoan values with western influences and aims to promote a positive attitude toward the Samoan faʻafāfine community. It fosters collaboration between faʻafāfine and LGBTQI+ communities in American Sāmoa, the Asia Pacific region, and the world. The Miss SOFIAS pageant has been held in Pago Pago, American Samoa, since 1979.
The Sāmoa Fa'afāfine Association, based in Apia, was founded in 2006. It works closely with government, churches, and youth organisations, supporting community projects for the fa'afāfine community, but also for elders and youth in Samoa. SFA is also active on the international level, working with the United Nations and Pacific regional NGOs, on behalf of the faʻafāfine, transgender, and LGBT communities of the Pacific Islands. They also work with media organisations to promote an equitable representation of faʻafāfine.
The SFA, with fa'afāfine lawyers Alex Suʻa and Phineas Hartson Matautia, have initiated legislative activity on issues of LGBT rights in Sāmoa. Their efforts to repeal homophobic and transphobic laws implemented during the period of New Zealand colonial rule have met with partial success. In 2013, the Samoan Government updated its criminal law in the Crimes Act 2013, including sexual offences. The 2013 changes included the decriminalisation of female ‘impersonation’, affirming the rights of fa'afāfine. Notably, the term ‘sexual connections’ was defined broadly under section 50 to include oral and anal sex, and was drafted in a gender-neutral manner. However, section 67 continued to criminalise sodomy, meaning that although it is no longer a crime to be visibly fa'afāfine, it is a crime for two people assigned male at birth to have sexual intercourse. The maximum penalty for sodomy where both people are male and over the age of 16 is 5 years imprisonment. The maximum penalty for keeping a place of resort for homosexual acts is 7 years imprisonment.
Same-sex marriage, like homosexual intercourse, is still unlawful in Sāmoa, and despite legalisation in the U.S., it is still not recognised in the US Territory of American Sāmoa.

In film

Paradise Bent: Boys will be Girls in Samoa, is a 1999 Australian documentary film written, directed, and co-produced by Heather Croall, which tells the story of traditional Samoan faʻafafines, and the impact of newer western drag artists on the culture. The film screened in many international festivals from 1999 until 2002, and won the Silver Plaque at the Chicago International Film Festival.

Notable faʻafāfine

Fictional faʻafāfine