Vaitoa Toelupe

This abstract summarizes a 22-minute recording of a keynote presentation delivered by Vaitoa Toelupe at the AsiaPacific Outgames held in Ilott Theatre, Wellington Town Hall, on March 17, 2011. Introduced by David Huebner, the then U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand, Toelupe represents the Samoa Fa'afafine Association and speaks on the topic of human rights in the Asia Pacific region. Despite its specific context of the 2010s decade, Toelupe's speech remains centered on timeless themes of cultural identity and the fight for recognition and rights.

Toelupe opens by honoring the audience and expressing the importance of the Pacific voices in advocating for universally-declared human rights. Emphasizing the pride in representing the Samoa Fa'afafine Association, Toelupe introduces the audience to fa'afafine - individuals in Samoa identified culturally rather than by sexual orientation. Toelupe provides an insight into Samoan culture, where a person's identity and roles within society are deeply rooted in family, land, and genealogy. The speech highlights the difference in cultural perceptions of fa'afafine in Samoa—focusing on their inherence of family responsibilities—compared to how sexual orientation and gender identity are seen elsewhere.

Progressing to the association's advocacy work, Toelupe tackles the clash between long-standing traditional values and emerging challenges brought forth by issues such as HIV and AIDS, and the misinterpretation of fa'afafine sexual activity under westernized views. The community's role in health advocacy and outreach activities is discussed, alongside the creation of the Samoa Fa'afafine Association, which gained support from Samoan leadership and aimed to confront legislative restrictions on sexual orientation and gender expression.

Toelupe points out the complexities faced by the fa'afafine and fa'afatama communities, the latter being less visible due to conservative cultural roles. The address then delves into how fa'afafine have utilized their cultural standing to effectively engage in health promotion efforts and adjust foreign LGBT models to align better with Samoan culture.

Ending on a strategic note, Toelupe outlines the key goals to seek from the conference: securing relevant, culturally-appropriate funding; ensuring the inclusivity of Pacific peoples in AsiaPacific discussions; and advocating for recognition that goes beyond western "LGBT" language to capture the nuance of fa'afafine identity fully. Carrying a message of unity and shared responsibility, Toelupe calls for a collective effort to continue the navigation of human rights, emphasizing the need to connect wisdom with the vast pools of information available today.

This summary is created using Generative AI. Although it is based on the recording's transcription, it may contain errors or omissions. Click here to learn more about how this summary was created.

David Huebner Vaitoa Toelupe

2010s, activism, asia pacific outgames (2011), fa'afafine, history, human rights, ilott theatre, samoa fa'afafine association, so'oalo to'oto'oali'i roger stanley, transcript online, transgender, vaitoa toelupe

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