Passports

Kihara is part of the Fa’afafine community, Sāmoa’s ʻthird gender’ but her Sāmoan passport defines her gender as ‘M’ for male.

Unlike the Western binary system that classifies gender and sexuality, the Indigenous worldviews in comparison saw gender and sexuality as a pie chart with various shades of grey, which allowed for a more nuanced and fluid understanding.

Over the years, Kihara’s passports have listed her as ‘M’, ‘X’ and ‘F’. This has caused complications through how her sex has been identified, particularly with border security systems.

Despite this, Kihara has always aspired to live beyond the borders of nationalism, race, gender, and sexuality. Her current New Zealand passport lists her gender as ‘F’, which for Yuki stands for Fa’afafine!