Miss Galaxy Pageant

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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 Salote Lupepau'u Salamasina Purea Vahine Ari'i o'e Hau Tuita [to], 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

References

External resources

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