Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu Outspoken Manu Samoa rugby representative Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu has thrown his support behind marriage equality, saying he doesn’t understand why Polynesians are against it. “There was a time when the first missionaries refused to marry Polynesians until they accepted the colonial image of god, as we, Polynesians, were heathen, pagan, savages,” he says in a Facebook posting, which has had a huge response. “It’s funny now we’ve become the missionary calling others what we were called. Our thinking has now become that of the colonisers.” The former Aucklander plays for Gloucester in England, and spoke out about the treatment of his national side at the last Rugby World Cup – accusing a ref of racism. He was banned from rugby for six months, a punishment which was put off for two years. Away from rugby he has studied to be a lawyer.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 6th December 2012 - 10:07am