Perhaps I need to give a clearer picture on this issue; in Samao or within the Asian and Pacific Islander communities, Fa'afine is not just another term for homosexuals or transgenders as what Western culture or other part of the world referred to. They are accepted as a third gender, thus, "They are men, but they are our sisters,"
"...Walking around Apia during the day and at night, it very quickly becomes apparent that the Fa'afafine are far from a darkly held secret. They are in positions of influence - school principals, bank managers, politically empowered - and on the streets you are sometimes greeted enthusiastically and, shall we say, with great drama by Fa'afafines...
They are known especially for the work they do for their family, particularly looking after households and their elderly parents.
I was cautioned often not to look for explanations or clarification about Fa'afafine through western eyes or words... A sexual relationship between a Fa'afafine and a man is not considered a homosexual one, but rather one between two genders...
Still, marriage between two Fa'afafines is not legal. Changing this may be a slowly gathering social movement. The acceptance goes only so far, it seems. "
Written by Adrian Pratt in his blog http://kiwiscots.blogspot.com/2011/08/faafafines-third-gender.html (http://kiwiscots.blogspot.com/2011/08/faafafines-third-gender.html)
Despite socially accepted by their communities, Fa'afines are still being discriminate by the churches:
"The fa'afafine is a third gender and they need to convince the church to give them equal rights. They must do this because of the influences churches have on most decisions especially in the South Pacific." posted by jttogs in http://fafafini.blogspot.com/ (http://fafafini.blogspot.com/)
And so unfortunately, under Samoan law, the Fa'afine also run the risk of being arrested as criminals for the following offences:
1. "physical contact of a sexual nature between males" under section 58D of the Crimes Ordinance 1962; and,
2. "a male person to have ‘on or about his person any article intended by him to represent that he is a female or in any other way is impersonating or representing himself to be a female’ " under section 58N of the Crimes Ordinance 1962.
Why the discrimination?
So, where is God
A video of Fa'afine on National Geographic channel:
http://youtu.be/EronVtKYr0c (http://youtu.be/EronVtKYr0c)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GV_g6X2PEvs (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GV_g6X2PEvs)