Fa’afafine

In Samoa, androphilic males (males sexually attracted to men) are referred to as fa’afafine. Translated into English, fa’afafine means “in the manner of a woman.” Most self-identify as fa’afafine, not as men.

There are myths outside of Samoa that Fa'afafine are selected to be raised as females when a family does not have enough sons, however evidence shows they are recognised for their feminine behavior early in their lives. Evidence indicates that Fa'afafine are the equivalent to feminine androphilic men in the west (typically these are gay men in western culture).

 Gender roles 
They take on the role of both male and female in the society e.g. teaching, construction and also domestic work. They tend to have sexual intercourse with masculine males, however rarely with another fa’afafine.

 References 

 Further reading 
http://www.wcc.hawaii.edu/facstaff/dagrossa-p/articles/Faafafine.pdf
http://www.acp-eucourier.info/Fa-afafine-querendo.800.0.html%3F%2526L%3D0

Category:Gender
Category:Samoa