Tongan documentary about transgender minority premiere at Festival of Commonwealth Film Featured
Joey Mataele
31 March, 2018. A Tongan feature documentary about a transgender minority group fighting for equality will premiere at the Festival of Commonwealth Film at the Britsh Museum in London next month.
The film titled Leitis in Waiting officially launches a human rights impact campaign across the Commonwealth before the opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting CHOGM 2018.
It follows the journey of Joey Matele, who is a devout Catholic of noble descent, living her life in Tonga as a transgender person and some of the increasing prejudices and challenges she and others like her face.
The film is a collaboration between the filmmakers, Tonga Leitis Association, and the Pacific Sexual and Gender Diversity Network.
6 comments
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Ho ko hai koaa 'oku ne abuse a Joey/Sosaia Mataele? 'Oku nau tau'ataina ki he'enau me'a 'oku fai, mo 'enau fa'ahinga teuteu, hala'ataa ke fakamamahi'i kinautolu 'eha taha. Ko honau fa'ahinga pe 'oku nau toe takimui'a hono abuse kinautolu. 'Oku fakailifia e taimi 'oku ta halu ai 'eha lei ha lei 'e taha, pea ko hono kape kinautolu 'ehe kau lei kehe 'oku kalasi atu. Koe siolalo 'a Joey/Sosaia ki he kau lei masiva ange mo ha'u mei 'uta 'oku toe kalasi atu ia. Te'eki ke tau fanongo kuo fakahu pilisone ha tangata pe taha ko 'ene abuse mo laulanu ki ha lei. Ka koe o koee 'o loi he ngaahi fakataha 'I muli ke pehe tokua 'oku fakamamahi'i mo fakaehaua'i kinautolu 'I Tonga ni 'oku fu'u fakatu'utamaki 'aupito ai, ka koe 'uhinga foki e o 'o loi ke ma'u mai e ngaahi pa'anga mei he ngaahi organisations 'oku nau poupou'i e mali hoatatau. Koe o 'a Joey/Sosaia moe 'out 'o loi mo tohi mai e me'a 'oku hoko ia he ngaahi fonua kehe ke muimui kiai a Tonga ni.
Fakamanatu atu kia Joey/Sosaia mo hono kau poupou, ke mou nofo ho'omou nonga, he 'oku mou fiemalie, tau'ataina mo fa'iteliha 'I Tonga ni ki ho'omou me'a 'oku fai. 'Oua te mou tafu mai e kumi totonu he ko ho'omou fakaafe'i ia e taufehi'a moe fehi'anekina kia kimoutolu. Pea tuku a foki e loi pala moe fakahela he ko Tonga ni eni pea 'oku tau 'osi 'ilo kotoa kimoutolu. Ka 'oku halaloto'api atu ha taha ho'omou totonu, mou o 'o faka'ilo he 'osi 'iai pe lao kene malu'i e tokotaha kotoa mo 'ene totonu.
Pea koe me'a ni 'oku 'ikai ke 'iai ha toe me'a kehe ange ia 'a Tonga ni ke show case CHOGM 2018? -
Oku ikai kovi e feinga okapau e ngata pe ke fakasiisii hono abuse kinautolu, kakoe asenita fakapulipuli oe feinga koena koe mali ae tangata moe tangata. Mou sio pe he e asi lelei pe he lele atu koeni.
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Malo si'i feinga 'a Siosaia Mataele 'a ia 'oku 'ilo ko Joey ke taukave'i e kulupu ni. Koe tangata nague malohi 'a Siosaia pea malo e ngaue lahi.
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LET'S KEEP IN MIND "GENDER" AND "SEX" ARE NOT SYNONYMOUS...DESPITE POLITICALLY-CORRECT CROWD WOULD WANT US ALL TO BELIEVE...My cousin Joey Mataele, with all due respects has advanced the "leitis'" cause in many aspects, Joey is still biologically a "man" and we must use the correct pronoun "he". Unless other "leitis" like Joey have had a sex change, then we can correctly use the correct pronoun "she". Politically-correct proponents are linguisically abusing our minds by manipulating definitions that "gender" and "sex" are interchangeable (synonyms).
Not to deny that the "faka-leiti" community in Tonga has experienced undue persecution because of their "gender" it is a fact that a "leiti" can still enjoy the legal privileges of being a "man" in the eyes of the law. And should a "leiti" chooses to have a sex change, then she would cease to enjoy those legal privileges. But that will present legal problems, definitely? -
Kuo fifisi ange hoo mou ai totonu amoutolu he kakai fifine. Talu hoo kofu fakafefine mei anefe Joyee oku teeki halu koe eha taha he mata e kakai. Tokangai na ko ho famili pe oou oku teeki kenau tali koe mo ho kii so tangata.
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Hope the GOT would include "TRANSGENDER" as gender in Tonga. Ke faka-lahi atu 'aki e gender (gender balance) mo 'enau si'i faka'ofa. 'Ikai koia pe pea mo "inclusive" e sosaieti Tonga mo e 'u "vulnerable group" hange ko eni he 'oku nau exist 'i Tonga. 'Ave ange ngofua pea fa'u moe "GUIDELINES" ke fenapasi mo e tukufakaholo moe ulungaanga faka-fonua. Ko e fokotu'u faka-kaukau ketau sio kiai pe 'e ngaue pea toki fai ai pe ha sio ki mui. Ko atunga eni kuo nau premire nautolu 'i loto Lonitoni. Pea 'ofa pe tenau 'oatu ha 'imisi lelei ma'ae kakai e fonua. MALO JOEY!