Tonga Leitis' Association

Tonga Leitis' Association
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.

Background

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]

Campaigns

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]

Community provision

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]

HIV/AIDS

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]

Climate crisis

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]

Culture

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]