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
Joey Joleen Mataele in traditional dress
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]
