A space for LGBTIQ youths

Increasingly now, the term LGBTIQ is used to also refer to Intersex individuals and those who dentify as queer or are questioning their sexual identityBefore relating the stories of two youths, Agu nd Jofiliti who identify as being part of the LGBTIQ community, I will explain the terms and Fiji's stand on gay sexuality

The first letter of LGBTIQ is L and refers to lesbian, a term used to describe women attracted romantically, erotically, and/or emotionally to other women. G for gay is used to describe individuals who are primarily emotionally, physically, and/or sexually attracted to members of the same sex and/or gender. B for bisexual refers to individuals who are emotionally, physically, and/or sexually attracted to male/men and females/women. T for transgender is a generic term covering a range of identities that go beyond socially defined gender norms. It also refers to individuals who live as members of a gender other than that which is based on sex assigned at birth. Intersex refers to an individual whose combination of chromosomes, gonads, hormones, internal sex organs, and genitals are different from the two expected patterns of male or female. Q stands for queer or questioning and refers to individual who are not sure about or are exploring their own sexual orientation or gender identity.

Constitutional protection
The Fiji Constitution which was promulgated in 2013 bans discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. The Employment Relations Promulgation 2007 bans discrimination in employment based on sexual orientation. The anti-hate speech law bans references to sexual orientation or gender identity.
Many Christians in Fiji see gay sexuality and transgender lifestyles in a negative light. To be fair there are also many Christians and citizens of other faiths who are tolerant of gay people. However, the reality is that conservative perceptions of gay sexuality as sinful actions often result in transgender people being subjected to aggressive behavior.
A scrutiny of trip advisor posts on Fiji generally showed that gay people had pleasant experiences and there were no recorded displays of homophobia in the posts that I read. There were of course the invariable question from small resorts if guests were brothers or sisters (if they shared a bed) but in large resorts being gay was not an issue at all.

Jofiliti
I first met Jofiliti Veikoso, the first youth I interviewed for this article in 2015 at the National Youth Conference. He had made a name for himself as a fitness instructor, an entertainer and a youth training facilitator.
Jofiliti has worked in a volunteer capacity with the LGBTIQ community at the grassroots level. He is also a member of the Rainbow Pride Foundation.
He has been a fixture of many workshops and programs run by the Ministry of Youth and Sports. He also volunteers for the NGOs Youths For Integrity and Youth Champs for Mental Health.
Jofiliti currently studies at USP Lautoka doing LLB and upon completion of his studies, he hopes to uphold the rights of LGBTIQ people in Fiji. He argues that all young people go through a self journey searching for their identities. He is concerned that there is often a fixation in Fiji for people's sexuality in social circles and this can affect creativity, work outputs and our perceptions. His point is "why can't people respect that other people are different and treat them as human beings based on their merits rather than being preoccupied with their gender identity or sexuality?"

Agu
The second youth I interviewed was Agu, 27. I first met her during the Cyclone Winston relief and rehabilitation work as she had worked tirelessly as a volunteer. Agu identifies as a transgender woman. They prefer that the feminine pronoun is used. Unlike the stories we sometimes hear of individuals who said they adopted a gay lifestyle because of a traumatic upbringing, this was not the case with Agu.
Although her parents had separated, she had a happy childhood and there were no cases of abuse of any kind in her upbringing. Agu said she grew up feeling that she was in the wrong gender. She loved to dance and found she was attracted to feminine moves. She was raised among family, friends and neighbours who were nonjudgmental of her sexuality. This strong kinship bond helped Agu face the trials of daily life.
Agu also joined the NGO called Pacific Rainbow Advocacy Network as a volunteer after she left school in 2008. Currently she volunteers for the Fiji Red Cross Lautoka branch and the Youth

Champs For Mental Health.
She admits that she gets many looks of disgust and derogatory words are hurled at her. She has conditioned herself to be positive and the vile words from the public has given her strength to love those who hate her and never to retaliate with hateful words
Agu hit the limelight in 2015 when she was first crowned Miss Farmers Priscilla and then later crowned Adi Senikau. Agu received praise for her voluntary and community work during the period of her Adi Senikau reign.
"You must have had a lot of admirers after you were crowned?" I asked. She admitted that there were too many who wanted a relationship but that she declined them as she felt that she is a role model who sets a good positive example to all youths to respect themselves and strive for higher ideals..

Conclusion
Research on gay issues is a neglected area. Apart from Dr Miliakere Kaitani's landmark study for the Australian National University on Fijian men in urban Suva and safe sex issues, there is no other major study that I can recall. A new national 2017 survey expects to ask questions on sexuality and social relationships.