West Samoa "girls"

are banned

One of Western Samoa’s more bizarre tourist attractions will soon be a thing of the past.

Parliament in September con sidered a bill outlawing the im personation by males of females and vice versa. As a result the mincing, beautifully coiffured, rouged and powdered faafafine now a fairly common sight on Apia’s streets will soon be driven from public view.

Homosexuality has long been accepted as a fact of life in Samoa and these faafafine are in demand as house “girls” or gain fully employed as dressmakers.

Several years ago Police Chief Philipp claimed that lesbianism was an even greater problem than male homosexuality.

It is generally doubted that the righteous indignation of Samoa’s Parliamentarians will result in any dimunition of the practice.