Leitis In Waiting
Sat, Oct 13, 2018 at 12:15pm
Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson & Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu; 2018; USA/Tonga; 72 min.; in English and Tongan with English subtitles
From the team that brought us KUMU HINA (TWIST, Translations 2014) comes a story from Tonga, the last kingdom in the South Pacific. Leitis (Tongan for transwomen) have long been respected in the culture, but mainstream homophobia and transphobia have begun to infiltrate the island, threatening their livelihoods. Enter Joey Joleen Mataele: a passionate leiti and mentor determined to defend the rights of leitis and all LGBTQ Tongans. From her work with the Tonga Leitis Association and the uproarious Miss Galaxy pageant to standing up to a group of Christian fundamentalists, Mataele’s poise and humor stand in defiance of prejudice.
