Toʻotoʻoaliʻi Roger Stanley
Toʻotoʻoaliʻi Roger Stanley | |
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Born | 1976 |
Died | 2018 Moto-otua |
Citizenship | Samoa |
Known for | President of the Samoa Faʻafafine Association |
Toʻotoʻoaliʻi Roger Stanley (1976–2018) was a Samoan faʻafafine activist, who was President of the Samoa Faʻafafine Association from its foundation in 2006 to her death.
Biography
[edit]Soʻoalo Toʻotoʻoaliʻi Roger Stanley was born in 1976.[1] Her parents were Niutea and Stanley of Siusega.[2] She completed tertiary education in Fiji.[3] She worked for the Samoan government from the late 1990s onwards, as a policy analyst and administrative officer.[3] At the time of her death she worked for the Samoa Tourism Authority.[4]
Stanley was a co-founder and President of the Samoa Faʻafafine Association since its establishment in 2006 until her 2018 death.[3][5][6] It was Stanley who persuaded the President of Samoa to become the patron of the SFA.[5] As an activist, as well as faʻafafine, Stanley campaigned for the rights of LGBTQ people in Samoa.[3] She was a board member of the Pacific Sexual and Gender Diversity Network (PSGDN).[4] She saw her faʻafafine identity as a cultural, rather than a sexual identity, although she saw the utility in using western LGBT terminologies in order to access opportunities and to advocate for her community.[7] She died at the Tupua Tamases Meaole (TTM) Hospital in Motoʻotua in January 2018.[2]
Awards
[edit]- Samoa Observer - Person of the Year (2017).[2]
Legacy
[edit]Stanley's life featured in New Zealand's first play to feature a cast of all queer people of colour. Other activists who were impersonated in The Eternal Queers included Gary Wu and Stormé DeLarverie.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ "THE ROGERS OF SAMOA — thecoconet.tv - The world's largest hub of Pacific Island content". 2021-06-08. Archived from the original on 2021-06-08. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
- ^ a b c "Samoa Observer | Soʻoalo's passing sad day for faʻafafine community". 2021-06-08. Archived from the original on 2021-06-08. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
- ^ a b c d "Meet Samoa's Champion of Faʻafafine Rights, Toʻotoʻoaliʻi Roger Stanley | OutRight Action International". 2021-06-08. Archived from the original on 2021-06-08. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
- ^ a b "Community Mourns the Loss of the Samoa Faʻafafine Association President | express Magazine". 2021-06-08. Archived from the original on 2021-06-08. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
- ^ a b "Remembering Samoan Faʻafafine Activist Toʻotoʻoaliʻi Roger Stanley | OutRight Action International". 2021-06-08. Archived from the original on 2021-06-08. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
- ^ "Samoa Observer | Soʻoalo Roger Stanley - The voice of the Faʻafafine". 2021-06-08. Archived from the original on 2021-06-08. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
- ^ Jahshan, Elias (2015-09-17). Star Observer Magazine October 2015. Star Observer.
- ^ "Four famous legends in a future afterlife | RNZ". Radio New Zealand. 2021-06-08. Archived from the original on 2021-06-08. Retrieved 2021-06-08.