While same sex marriage is legal in New Zealand, Australia and many other countries, it’s not in the Pacific destinations of Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa and the Cook Islands. It is mainly a religion-based thing but also due to conservative governments. Of course there are LGBTIQ couples living in those countries and there are movements to have both attitudes and laws changed but that will be a while off.
Somewhat paradoxically, in the Fijian and Samoan cultures you often see boys raised as girls. This usually happens if a family has had all boy children and the next boy is designated ‘female’ to help Mum with the ‘female tasks’ – men are still pretty much the hunters and gatherers and the women look after the cooking and cleaning. In Fiji these men will live in the female staff quarters at resorts and, in Samoa, the men are known as ‘fa’fafine’ which means ‘like a woman’. Tourists often mistake femininity for the country recognising ‘openly gay’ people and they even have fa’fafine beauty contests!
Interestingly, while Samoa’s Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi is adamant there will be no same sex marriage in Samoa he is also patron of the Samoa Fa’afine Association.