A fakaleitī (or leiti or fakafefine or lady) is a Tongan male at birth who has a feminine gender expression. The term fakaleitī is made up of the prefix faka- (in the manner of) and the borrowing lady from English. Fakaleitī s themselves prefer to call themselves leitī or ladies.

Mar 5, 2019 · Joey founded the Tonga Leitis Association, an advocacy and support group for leitis—an appropriation of the local word “fakaleiti” literally meaning “like a lady.” Joey says her priority is changing people’s attitudes before changing the country’s laws.

Aug 30, 2019 · For Samoans assigned female at birth who live as men, they are known as fa'afatama, as fakatangata in Tonga, and as tanata ira tane among New Zealand's Māori population, though these people feature less prominently across the region.

Jan 3, 2023 · Tonga’s Fakaleitis are men who live their lives as women. They “perform tasks such as household duties, work in the fields with other women, dress as women, and offer sex to men” In the rural areas, they perform the domestic duties, such …

Aug 29, 2021 · Tongan word for the third Polynesian gender is fakaleiti. Faka means “in the manner of,” whereas leiti is a borrowed English word, lady. Tonga Leitis Association strives to uplift third Polynesian genders in the Pacific.

Aug 25, 2015 · She's not gay, despite being attracted to other men. She's a "fakaleiti", a term that translates roughly into "like a lady". She's among a prominent category of transgendered men in the South Pacific – from Fiji to Samoa and Tuvalu – …

conservative fa’afafine and fakaleiti may perceive themselves and be perceived by others as different from their urban or more modern counterparts who may be more outrageous in dress and mannerisms and more explicitly sexual.

Apr 16, 2018 · The gender-diverse 'leiti' community in the conservative Kingdom of Tonga is taking its fight for visibility to the global stage, as a film about their lives premieres in London.

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.

Mar 7, 2019 · Three decades ago she founded the Tonga Leitis Association, an advocacy and support group for leitis – an appropriation of the local word “fakaleiti” literally meaning “like a lady”.