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Faʻafafine (Samoan pronunciation: [faʔafafine]; lit. ' in the manner of a woman ') are natal males who align with a third gender or gender role in Samoa. [1] Fa'afafine are not assigned the role at birth, nor raised as girls due to a lack of daughters, as is often claimed in western media.
Vakasalewalewa is included in the acronym MVPFAFF+ (mahu, vakasalewalewa, palopa, fa'afafine, akava'ine, fakaleiti or leiti, fakafifine, and other), coined by Phylesha Brown-Acton, to "enhance Pasifika gender diversity awareness in addition to the term LGBTQI".
Fa'afafine are people who identify themselves as having a third-gender or non-binary role in Samoa, American Samoa and the Samoan diaspora. A recognized gender identity/gender role in traditional Samoan society, and an integral part of Samoan culture, fa'afafine are assigned male at birth, and explicitly embody both masculine and feminine gender traits in a way unique to Polynesia.
The term "third gender" has been used to describe hijras of India, Bangladesh and Pakistan [292] who have gained legal identity, fa'afafine of Polynesia, and sworn virgins of the Balkans, [293] among others, and is also used by many of such groups and individuals to describe themselves.
They have traditional spiritual and social roles within the culture, similar to Tongan fakaleiti and Samoan fa'afafine. [2] The terms “third gender”, “in the middle”, and “gender fluid” have been used to help explain māhū in the English language. According to present-day māhū kumu hula Kaua'i Iki: [3]
A related term is fakataane which means 'to behave like a man'. [4] Fakafifine is included in the acronym MVPFAFF+ (mahu, vakasalewalewa, palopa, fa'afafine, akava'ine, fakaleiti or leiti, fakafifine, and other), coined by Phylesha Brown-Acton, to "enhance Pasifika gender diversity awareness in addition to the term LGBTQI". [5] [6]
Samoa Faʻafafine Association (SFA) is an organisation based in Samoa, which provides support for LGBTQ+ communities. It organises the annual Miss Faʻafafine pageant, provides sexual health educational programming and advocates for the rights of LGBTQ+ people in Samoa, in particular its faʻafafine communities.
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.