Miss Galaxy Pageant
Miss Galaxy Queen is a beauty pageant held in Nukuʻalofa, 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 Template:Ill, the eldest daughter of Her Royal Highness Princess Salote Mafile'o Pilolevu Tuita.[5] 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.[5]
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.[1] 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.[2] During the pageant event, the TLA sees its highest distribution of condoms.[2] 'The pageant also has a HIV testing booth, where attendees can be tested whilst attending the event.[6]
Local Tongan businesses sponsor the event, a demonstration of their support for changing attitudes to LGBTQ+ rights.[6] 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
- 1993: Vivian Charlie.[11]
- 1994: Fiona Gibson.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
- 1995: London Koloamatangi.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
- 1996: Lee Mubai Yang.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
- 1997: Shima Langi[5] (Vaisima Langi[14])
- 1998: Kumu Hina.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
- 1999: Janice Fruean-Zimmerman Baice.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
- 2000: Ireen Shauna.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
- 2001: Lee Mubai Yang (Feliuaki Taulanga).Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
- 2002: Pauline Edward Taufa.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
- 2003: Sonia Honey.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
- 2004: Phylesha Brown-Acton.[15]
- 2005: Sabrina Latu.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
- 2006: Coco Chandelier.[13]
- 2007: Maya Douglas.[8]
- 2008: Selena D'Angelo.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
- 2009: Fatima Gyllenhaal Halafihi.[16]
- 2010: Tararina Brown.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
- 2011: Venus Brown.[17]
- 2012-2013: Jayleen Veer Kaho
- 2014: Leila Heihei.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
- 2015-2016: Diamond Vea.[18][19]
- 2017: Natasha Finau.[9]
- 2018: Kaina Handerson Tauvaka.[20]
- 2019-2020: Marina Cocobutter.[21]
- 2021-2022: Lavenda Mosay
- 2023: Camilla Hansen
- 2024: Giovanna Lissha Mafi
References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Matangi Tonga, 1997
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".