Miss Galaxy Pageant Explained

Miss Galaxy Queen is a beauty pageant held in Nukualofa, Tongatapu in Tonga, where contestants are members of Tonga's fakaleiti community. Organised by the Tonga Leitis' Association (TLA) it raises awareness of LGBTQ+ rights issues and has become a regular event in the Tongan cultural calendar.

Background

Emerging from the 1970s disco scene in Tonga,[1] the Miss Galaxy pageant was established in 1993, organised by the Tonga Leitis' Association (TLA) as a means to raise awareness of LGBTQ+ issues in Tonga, and to raise money for their programmes.[2] Structured in a similar way to Tonga's Miss Heilala pageant, Miss Galaxy has become more popular of the two.[3] In addition, whilst Miss Heilala contestants are expected to "exhibit their Tongan-ness", Miss Galaxy contestants express themselves as "cosmopolitan ... using English".[3] Many of the Miss Galaxy contestants have a financial impetus to compete, in contrast to the Miss Heilala contestants who are often wealthier.[4]

Organisation and sponsorship

The pageant usually takes place in July each year as part of the Heilala Festival.[5] The director of the pageant is Joey Joleen Mataele. The Patron for the Miss Galaxy is the Honorable Salote Lupepau'u Salamasina Purea Vahine Ari'i o'e Hau Tuita, the eldest daughter of Her Royal Highness Princess Salote Mafile'o Pilolevu Tuita. The pageant attracts audiences of up to five thousand people each year.[6] A panel of judges rate the Miss Galaxy contestants in a number of different talent and appearance categories. International academics, celebrities and members of the royal family have acted as judges in various years.

Originally held at the Dateline Hotel, a change in its ownership to an adherent of evangelical Christianity, in 1997 the competition moved to a new location - the Queen Salote Memorial Hall. In 2010 the pageant was hosted at the Four Seasons Resort, 'Umusi for the first time.[7] Contestants create costumes and model under several categories, including: 'Red Creation' which is a tribute to those affected by HIV; 'Condom Creation' which is designed to raise awareness around condom use; 'Rainbow Attire' is a tribute to rainbow families. During the pageant event, the TLA sees its highest distribution of condoms. 'The pageant also has a HIV testing booth, where attendees can be tested whilst attending the event.

Local Tongan businesses sponsor the event, a demonstration of their support for changing attitudes to LGBTQ+ rights. In 2002 Air New Zealand began sponsorship of the pageant and its official name became the Air New Zealand Galaxy Queen Beauty Pageant.[8] In 2017 the pageant was sponsored by Digicel Tonga.[9] The 2021 pageant's theme was 'Ending Gender-based Violence'.[10]

Reception

Days after the inaugural event in 1993, a transphobic educational official suggested that schools had a role in the increasingly visible number of leitis in Tonga.[11]

In 2018 pageant contestants were featured in the documentary Leitis in Waiting which portrayed the difficulties faced by the leitis community in Tonga.[12] The same year, the pageant celebrated its silver jubilee, celebrating twenty-five years of success.[13]

Pageant winners

External resources

Notes and References

  1. Book: Besnier, Niko. On the Edge of the Global: Modern Anxieties in a Pacific Island Nation. 2011-03-02. Stanford University Press. 978-0-8047-7764-3. en.
  2. Web site: Pacific. UNDP in Asia and the. 2019-09-10. Miss Galaxy Pageant blazes a trail for acceptance of trans women in Tonga. 2021-05-27. Medium. en.
  3. Book: Daly, Martin. Tonga: A New Bibliography. 2009-02-04. University of Hawaii Press. 978-0-8248-3196-7. en.
  4. Book: Eckert. Penelope. Language and Gender. McConnell-Ginet. Sally. 2013-02-07. Cambridge University Press. 978-1-107-02905-7. en.
  5. Besnier. Niko. 2002. Transgenderism, Locality, and the Miss Galaxy Beauty Pageant in Tonga. American Ethnologist. 29. 3. 534–566. 10.1525/ae.2002.29.3.534. 3805464. 0094-0496.
  6. Web site: 2021-05-27. Activist Spotlight: Joey Joleen Mataele — GiveOut. 2021-05-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20210527071857/https://giveout.org/activist-spotlight-joleen-mataele. 2021-05-27.
  7. Web site: 2021-05-27. Miss Galaxy lives up to reputation Matangitonga. 2021-05-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20210527065527/https://matangitonga.to/2010/07/09/miss-galaxy-lives-reputation. 2021-05-27.
  8. Web site: 2021-05-27. TONGAN MISS GALAXY PAGEANT CROWNS NEW QUEEN Pacific Islands Report. live. 2021-05-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20210527073418/http://www.pireport.org/articles/2007/07/09/tongan-%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%98miss-galaxy%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99-pageant-crowns-new-queen. 2021-05-27.
  9. Web site: 2021-05-27. Miss Galaxy Queen Pageant ends on a high note Loop Tonga. 2021-05-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20210527073759/https://www.looptonga.com/community/miss-galaxy-queen-pageant-ends-high-note-63012. 2021-05-27.
  10. Web site: MISS GALAXY PAGEANT 2021 - TLA - Tonga Leiti's Association. 2021-05-27. tongaleiti.org. en.
  11. Web site: 2021-05-27. Tonga tries to shut the closet door on '50/50 men' The Independent The Independent. Independent.co.uk. 2021-05-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20210527072733/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/tonga-tries-to-shut-the-closet-door-on-50-50-men-1482553.html. 2021-05-27.
  12. Web site: 2021-05-27. Leitis in Waiting: Even Miss Galaxy Queen Hawaii Public Radio. 2021-05-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20210527070806/https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/post/leitis-waiting-even-miss-galaxy-queen. 2021-05-27.
  13. Web site: Pacific. Loop. 2018. Festivities to commemorate Tonga's Miss Galaxy Pageant 25th anniversary. 2021-05-27. Loop Tonga. en.
  14. Web site: 2021-05-27. Beauty with a Purpose — thecoconet.tv - The world's largest hub of Pacific Island content.. 2021-05-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20210527084805/https://www.thecoconet.tv/moana-arts/pacific-island-beauty-pageants-1/beauty-with-a-purpose-1/. 2021-05-27.
  15. Web site: 2021-05-27. Miss Agu Tuinasau, from Tonga, being crowned winner of the annual Stock Photo - Alamy. 2021-05-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20210527074815/https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-miss-agu-tuinasau-from-tonga-being-crowned-winner-of-the-annual-adi-104414493.html. 2021-05-27.
  16. Web site: 2021-05-27. Venus Brown, new Galaxy Queen 2011-12 Matangitonga. 2021-05-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20210527065302/https://matangitonga.to/2011/12/06/venus-brown-new-galaxy-queen-2011-12. 2021-05-27.
  17. Web site: Miss Galaxy's first judging event started last night – TBC. 2021-05-27. en-NZ.
  18. Web site: 2021-05-27. Miss Galaxy Queen, Diamond Vea Matangitonga. 2021-05-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20210527074333/https://matangitonga.to/2015/12/18/miss-galaxy-queen-diamond-vea. 2021-05-27.
  19. Web site: 2021-05-27. Miss Galaxy 2018, Kaina Handerson Tauvaka Matangitonga. 2021-05-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20210527065151/https://matangitonga.to/2018/07/16/miss-galaxy-2018. 2021-05-27.
  20. Web site: 2021-05-27. Miss Galaxy Queen 2019, Marina Cocobutter Matangitonga. 2021-05-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20210527073259/https://matangitonga.to/2019/07/19/miss-galaxy-queen-2019-marina-cocobutter. 2021-05-27.

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