The Samoa Observer has once again misgendered the 20-year-old fa’afafine woman who was found dead in a church in Apia last month. Samoa Observer Editor in Chief Gatoaitele Savea Sano Malifa An inquest into Jeanine Tuivaiki’s death is currently underway in the District Court and in the latest of the Samoa Observer’s reporting, Tuivaiki has been misgendered and referred to by her birth name. The newspaper previously came under immense scrutiny after it published a degrading front page photo of Tuivaiki, alongside a disrespectful story regarding her death. The first apology published in the newspaper continued to repeatedly misgender Tuivaiki, in a second apology, Editor in Chief Gatoaitele Savea Sano Malifa admitted that publishing the story and photo was “an inexcusable lapse of judgement”. The Samoan Office of the Ombudsman released a statement in late June condemning the newspaper for both its use of the photo and story and for misgendering Tuivaiki. Ombudsman Maiava Iulai Toma stated that the article had also “failed to afford Jeanine and the fa’afafine community respect when it referred to Jeanine as a man when the term fa’afafine is widely recognised in the Samoan community. Terminology can have a profound impact on a person’s identity, self-worth and inherent dignity.”
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 21st July 2016 - 3:02pm