'I was born to he like

this'

When he was young, he liked to play with girls. But now, at 18, he still finds the ways of women more attractive to him.

Because of this, he is occasionally taunted and has lost most

of his male Tongan friends.

But, says Longosai Fineanganofa, “I was born to be like this”

Longosai is the youngest of a group of Tongan Fakaleiti who openly flaunt their femininity, usually in the small park area in front of the International Dateline Hotel, on the beachfront in Nukualofa. He is the youngest of a young group. He calls his friends of 30 “old”.

But the Dateline scene has been a good one for him in the two years he has enjoyed it since finishing school. In ad dition to Tongan fakaleiti friends, he now corresponds with friends all over the world.

But at times, it is obvious that he is restless and concerned about his future.

“Those who understand my life don't talk badly about me, but some, they hate me,” Longosai said. “I’ve been to New Zealand and Fiji and you get used to the way people treat you. But for myself, I want to stay in Tonga.

“I just can't change myself. Sometimes I think to myself ‘why was I born to be like this?' But there's nothing I can do. Some people were born to be white and I was born to be like this.”

Although Longosai has kept some of his female friends from his schooldays, he has few male friends. Many of his friends in Tonga are from the expatriate or papalangi com munity, because, “They show more interest in me”.

He is an only child. Longosai's parents were separated and he has lived most of his life with his grandmother. He enjoys a good relationship with his family and lives at home most of the time.

“My parents leave me alone,” he said. At home, he often fulfils the woman's role, cooking and sewing among his other chores.

Most of the time, Longosai keeps late days, going out in the evening and not returning home until early morning.

Although he has never encountered trouble with the Tongan police, some of his friends have, he said. Tongan law prohibits two males from having sexual relationships with one another and some of his friends have been prosecuted, he said.

When his friends gather along the beach, the main topic of conversation is usually men, Longosai said. Some nights the group just gathers to talk. On other nights, they dress in women's clothes and wear makeup, moving along the beach to meet customers from the hotel or other visitors who might be interested in spending the night with them. When a cruise ship calls at Queen Salote wharf for an overnight visit, or a naval warship puts into port, Longosai stays busy, he said.

Generally, it is a style of life that satisfies Longosai. Finan cially, and in terms of gifts he often receives from overseas friends he has made, Longosai lives a comfortable life. “I could easily find a job, ” Longosai explains. “But I still enjoy

this life.”

Another hotel near the ocean, Joe’s Hotel, is also a gather ing place for the fakaleiti group. Once a year, the group holds a beauty contest at the hotel, each fakaleiti posing as a beauty contest winner from some other part of the world, such as “Miss Africa”. The contests are popular among Tongans and expatriates, with Joe's usually jammed for the beauty

finals.