The Fa'afafine: A Third Gender in Samoan Culture

            In Samoan culture, there exists a third gender called the fa’afafine, the societal term for biological males who are raised with a female gender identity. Parents raise fa’afafine often because they already have too many sons, and thus need a female presence in the household to assist with domestic duties. As they are considered a third gender in Samoan society that embodies both male and female characteristics, fa’afafine are free to have relations with either men or women, without them or their partners facing censure; however, these fa’afafine may not have sexual relations with each other. In fact, fa’afafine often form relationships with men, a connection that is not considered homosexual in the eyes of Samoan society.

            When compared to Western traditions, this Samoan system may seem strange, but this “third gender” parallels a sort of socially accepted transvestite practice. It seems like a bizarre deviation from traditional male and female roles of the Western world, but these fa’afafine are dedicated members of the family who do not actually have a choice in the matter of becoming a fa’afafine because the parents decide to raise them in this third gender mold so that they can help around the house. The concept of “third gender” thus became an identity in and of itself in Samoan society with these biological males who have female traits. So much so that they formed organizations that use their struggles to battle discrimination against this minority group, much like the feminists we recently read about.