Steva Auina is a proud fa'afafine and is now working to help transgender youth and fa'afafine in high schools. Photo / Steva Auina
Steva Auina is a proud fa'afafine and is now working to help transgender youth and fa'afafine in high schools. Photo / Steva Auina
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
She survived life at an all-boys school and is now giving a helping hand to other fa’afafine or transgender young people at high school.
Steva Auina is a proud fa’afafine and is a former student of Kelston Boys’ High School in West Auckland.
Her definition of fa’afafine is the traditional and respected Samoan role of a man who acts in the way of a woman. But she is also comfortable with the Western terms such as transwoman and transgender.
These days, she runs a Ministry of Education-funded programme - Laulima - that has the purpose of supporting young fa’afafine in secondary schools around Auckland.
“Everything I do in life, I engage myself in is always teamwork. So I thought about how I could incorporate this and that’s how Laulima came to fruition.”
Breaking down barriers and opening doors for youth
While a student at Kelston Boys, she was a member of a group of transgender friends who eventually gave themselves a name: Kelston Kweenz.
Auina speaks to students who identify as fa’afafine or trans about her experiences growing up as a young fa’afafine at school and the challenges she faced when she was a teenager.
“They appreciate the struggles and the tormenting times that myself and the older generation had in school.”
Laulima programme director Steva Auina with students from De La Salle College and teacher Nicole Knight. Photo / Steva Auina
She is working to break barriers - using her lived experience to ensure young fa’afafine have the opportunities she and her peers did not have growing up.
Auina hails from the villages of Saoluafata, Falealupo and Vaivase Uta in Samoa and is a former Miss Samoa Fa’afafine.
She believes that even the small things count, so she provides each teenager with a make-up pack.
“This gives them a sense of belonging, so they can feel more connected to who they are.”
At the moment, Auina is working at schools including her old campus at Kelston Boys High School, Aorere College, De La Salle College and Southern Cross College, in South Auckland.
Part of the programme is practical; providing assistance with things including new laptops, school uniforms, and fees.
‘It’s hard for parents to accept their children as fa’afafine’
She also works with students and educators on a more personal level; acknowledging the sometimes difficult journeys some students face.
The Samoan translation for the name of the programme, Laulima, is: Your hands. Auina compares this to a symbol of unity.
“Although we are in the 21st century, it’s hard for some of the parents to accept their fanau (children) as [being] fa’afafine.”
As well as encouraging young fa’afafine, Auina also supports other students who identify as being a part of the rainbow community. That support extends to students’ families.
Speaking about the future of Laulima and where she sees it moving, Auina said it would be Pasefika fa’afafine who would see it continue to grow.
Auina is now working towards a special stage show portraying the talents and identities of students.
