When Joey Mataele was a small boy, the Queen of the Polynesian kingdom of Tonga thought him so pretty she removed the dress from her life-size doll and put it instead on Joey. Joey contined wearing dresses, including - to the consternation of his parliamentarian father - in public, and today is one of Tonga's leading transgender women, known locally as 'leitis'. This documentary film is called 'Leitis in Waiting' (see what they did there?)
The film opens with scenes of traditional Tongan dancing - grass skirts, graceful bowing and hand-twirling - intercut with a leiti giving a bawdy performance of a more modern song. Despite this jarring juxtaposition, the viewer learns that leitis are actually an established part of Tongan culture, for example serving the monarchy and working at social gatherings. But this acceptance is under threat from outside influences, particularly religion (surprise!) Athough we do meet at least one religious leader who speaks out in support of the leitis, most of those featured are very much in the anti camp - none more so than (the rather handsome) Pastor Barry, a televangelist whose church, the film informs us more than once, is 'USA-funded'.
I was attracted to this documentary for its look at modern South Pacific society more than I was interested in the transgender issues. But the viewer would have to possess a heart of stone not to feel sympathy for Joey and her fellow leitis as they attempt to claim their place in a modernising country (albeit with powerful support: the patron of the Tonga Leiti's - sic - Association is a princess of the royal family). With this kind of campaigning documentary there is always the question how fair is the portrayal of the opposing side (for instance, was the best thing Pastor Barry could say about homosexuals really that they should be put in prison for a month and he didn't want them killed "as in Iran"?) But Mataele makes for an articulate and engaging spokesperson (in fact, not featuring more of her trip to Geneva to address the United Nations was a wasted opoortunity) and this is an interesting film.
