Leitī study highlights unique intersectional experiences of LGBTQIA+ Tongans

The life experiences of Tongan leitī in Aotearoa are explored in a new study that combines Pacific identity, wellbeing, and culturally grounded clinical psychology methods.

The study, titled Leitī in Red: Exploring the Life Experiences of Kau Leitī Tonga Living in Aotearoa New Zealand, investigates the lives of 12 Tongan individuals whose gender identity and/or expression differ from their assigned sex at birth.

The study is part of Penni Wolfgramm’s doctoral research, and as a clinical psychologist and proud leitī, she brings a personal perspective to her findings. Speaking with Sanele Chadwick on Pacific Mornings, Wolfgramm discusses how her qualitative research examined identity and wellbeing across all stages of life.

“It focused on all stages and ages in their lifetime, from their growing up experience to when they were adults at the time of the talanoa. And it explored different aspects of who they were and the vā that they had with themselves, others, and the environments and contexts that they found themselves in,” Wolfgramm says.

Employing the Kakala Research Framework and talanoa to centre leitī voices, Wolfgramm centred the voices of the leitī while incorporating cultural values like moʻui lelei (wellbeing), koloa (treasured objects), and tauhi vā (relational care).

Reflecting on her research conducted four to five years ago, she says: “I listened to the stories of the leitī who lent their time, energy and effort. The privilege and the honour that has come with being able to do this hasn’t left me.”

She also shares her personal journey of reclaiming what it means to be a leitī. “For many of us who live here in Aotearoa New Zealand, we internalise negative messages about who we are and what it means to be a leitī or fa’afāfine*.

“It’s been the most incredible homecoming to not only learn about and caretake the stories of the leitī who participated, but also myself. As researchers, we’re not immune or exempt from the impact it has on us personally.”

A key finding of the study is the collective nature of identity. Wolfgramm says participants felt that their wellbeing could not flourish unless their community thrived as well.

“Many of the research tends to highlight that the transition journeys of trans people are individualised. But our journeys are collective because we are kakai Tonga [Tongan people]. Our gender identity, sexual identity and sex characteristics are only one part of ourselves.”

Watch Penni Wolfgramm’s full interview below.

Statistics New Zealand’s 2023 census data, which was the first to include information on LGBTQIA+ communities, found that the proportion of transgender women was highest among Pacific people.

Speaking with ‘Alakihihifo Vailala on Pacific Mornings, Adele Quinn, Principal Analyst at StatsNZ, explains that while their research indicates higher proportions among Pacific communities, it primarily relies on Western understandings of queer identity. She says there is a tension between culturally specific identity terms and those used in official classifications.

“When you’re collecting something like the census you’ve got to categorise or classify responses, and we know that putting things into boxes or classifications doesn’t necessarily gel well when you’re describing our Rainbow populations,” Quinn says.

“But we’re committed to working further with communities to determine how we can reflect culturally specific identities in our data. So while we haven’t been able to output distinct data sets for groups such as fa’afāfine and fakaleitī, people could write those responses on their census forms, and we’re able to use that information to help consider how we can better do this in the future.”

Watch Adele Quinn’s full interview below.

Wolfgramm emphasises the importance of collecting culturally specific data for Pacific Rainbow+ communities, saying that many Pacific people view themselves through an intersectional lens. “There are wonderful ways and commonalities that we share across our cultures and nations.”

She also references the work of Seuta’afili Dr Patrick Thomsen, Phylesha Brown-Acton, and the team at Manalagi, who have taken an innovative approach to accessing the health and wellbeing of Pacific people in Aotearoa New Zealand.

“Many of us Pacific Rainbow Plus researchers want to look at the unique nuances and differences that exist. For leitī Tonga, many may not have that understanding of what it means to be both Tongan and Rainbow Plus or leitī. So it’s important that we ensure there is ethnic-specific, pan-Pacific research that exists for us and about our communities.”

Wolfgramm is the Pacific Rainbow+ Peoples Lead at the Ministry for Pacific Peoples, teaches a course on Queering Healthcare at the University of Auckland, and works as a clinical psychologist at Village Collective’s youth clinic in South Auckland.

*Fa’afāfine refers to individuals in Sāmoa who are assigned male at birth but embody feminine gender roles, often considered as a third gender within Sāmoan culture.