Joey Joleen Mataele


Joey Joleen Mataele is a Tongan activist for the rights of transgender women.

Activism

In 1992, Mataele co-founded the Tonga Leitis Association and became its executive director. She is also the Pacific Island Representative on the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association Executive Board and Chairperson of the South Pacific MSM Network Group.
In 1993, Mataele founded the Miss Galaxy Queen Pageant as an annual event to celebrate the diversity and creativity of fakaleiti and the LGBTQ community in Tonga.
Mataele is also the co-founder of the Pacific Sexual Diversity Network, which was established in 2007 during the Pacific Games in Samoa. The organisation includes members from Polynesian nations such as Fiji, Samoa, the Cook Islands and Papua New Guinea. It aims to work together to gain a stronger voice at regional and international gatherings.
Mataele is the subject of the feature documentary film Leitis in Waiting.

Honour and award

Honour

Award