We begin our story in American Samoa. The year is 1988, the street markets are filled with vendors, and the hustle and bustle of commuters shuffling through and from the nearby Fagatogo marketplace. Many people would be traveling through this main transit for shopping activities, or commuting to the fishing cannery. Lucky would commute to the Fagatogo square each morning to work at the Napa Auto Parts store. A former shop owner of the “Lucky Star”, a popular eatery that served hot meals. Lucky would find continued fulfillment in the tool shop working as a mechanic, helping people. Just as he was popular for bringing smiles to people’s faces with his cooking, he was now also doing so to help customers solve their mechanical problems. Lucky Yandall was known for two things, his head for business and his love for automobiles. It was this knack for business that he had in common with his wife Fa’afetai. A long time dedicated civil servant, Fa’afetai worked diligently within the public health sector. Known for her kindness and compassion, her colleagues often relied on her support long after the office hours ended – so much so that she’d need to set up a home office to handle the frequent visits and inquiries from her department. She had a deep sense of pride in her ability to support others and did this relentlessly and always with compassion.
Having both been previously married, Lucky and Fa’afetai brought together a loving blended family. Here we have Louisa and Pika… and Tasha and Apelila. Together they would welcome the births of Curtis, Jabal, and Adah within a year apart. It would be four years after Adah’s birth that we get to welcome this story’s protagonist… Paris Mae Mackie Yandall – Our 2023 Miss Island Goddess. This blended family wouldn’t be complete yet for another 8 years after the births of Isu and the youngest child, Gina… each within 4 years apart. As with some blended families and various age groups, a cluster of relationships would form over the years and shape the group experiences of those individual clusters. And as with most middle children in big families, the feeling of being pushed and pulled between the strict upbringing of the older group of siblings, and the leniency of the younger generation… was often very conflicting for Paris growing up.
Since as young as 3 years old, Paris recalls vivid memories of being dropped off to her Grand Aunt’s home for the day while her parents would set off to work and her older siblings went off to school. Aunty Tauma’oe worked as a seamstress. By the time the evening would roll around and the pickup truck arrives to Aunty’s home to pick up little Paris, she’d be dressed a new mu’umu’u – stitched together by various fabric trimmings left over from Puletasi or Ofu Tino orders from the days’ workload. Aunty enjoyed fashioning little Paris in her creations, who always lit up when it would come time to don on the newest creations with its eclectic colors and new designs. Whether it was because Lucky and Fa’afetai did not want to ever offend Aunty Tauma’oe… they never seemed to mind. “It wasn’t challenged, it was simply accepted”
The Yandall family household is nestled in Autapini. To one side lived the Viena cousins, and to the other side lived the Tavale’s. Each household had a group of children that Paris and her siblings would grow up close with. Often playing sports in the village malae until the local Sā rang – the village curfew that calls families home to designate time for prayer. Within the home lived another couple who rented a room from the Yandalls who doted on and affirmed little Paris from a young age. They were Tusi and Pea, a same-sex lesbian couple. When Paris would strut on her tippy-toes imitating wearing heels she’d get scolded by her older brother, Jabelle and her cousins to walk flat footed. Tusi would be one of the first people to rush to her defense. Tusi praised little Paris to all of her Fa’afafine friends. Although it was apparent that Paris was an effeminate child, she understands now that the stern response she received from her brother and cousins came from a place of wanting to protect her from having a hard life as Fa’afafine. While this often showed as an act of tough love, there wasn’t much that could protect Paris from certain hardships she’d have to navigate on her own as a young Fa’afafine.
As Paris grew into her formative teenage years, she recalls feeling often misunderstood and went through a rebellious phase. “The harder my parents wanted me to do something, if I didn’t believe in it, I didn’t do it.” As an act of protest, Paris had foregone joining the National Honor Society despite qualifying because she didn’t want to conform to the organization’s standards of dress code imposed on students. This rebellious teenage phase would also result in periods where she would spend nights at her friend’s homes. One particular friend was Deanna Fuimaono, whose family lived at the Lion’s Park housing in Tafuna. Paris would sometimes spend weekends there, often leaving her parents worried about her safety. “As a mother, today I can only imagine the fear my parents must have felt then. I was selfish.” Paris’ friends would lend her feminine clothing for their social outings on the weekends, and she felt unstoppable and ready to debut publicly in a big way.
Fa’afafine pageantry was always a highlight of extravagant performance and a feel good time across American Samoa. Miss Island Queen and Miss Empress of Samoa were the popular competitions that existed to provide a stage for the older Queens to demonstrate their talents and creativity. When the late Leroy Lutu founded the Miss Teen Princess pageant, a Fa’afafine pageant focused on including young Fa’afafine in High School, Paris was ready to take the stage. “Pageants were always something that I gravitated towards because I loved the beauty of it all.” Each contestant had to choose an island to represent and Paris competed as Miss Tahiti. She laughs as she recalls the memory “I did not do well.” But this pageant serves as a core memory that she and other Fa’afafine look back on fondly.
Many of the Fa’afafine that Paris grew up around would move onto studying together at Chaminade University in Honolulu. “Marsha Mageo, Dakota, Athena and others already laid the groundwork at this university that created a level of safety ingrained there that made it safe for me to attend this private catholic institution.” Here, all of the strict limitations around their gender expression as imposed by society in American Samoa were now lifted. As young adults, they created a network of support when it came to their studies. And as proud Samoans, were active participants in the Lumana’i ‘O Samoa social group. They participated in cultural activities such as Pacific Islander Review and Extravaganza within the school, and often coordinated social events and gatherings together. As their networks grew, they connected with local transgender women and found opportunities to appear as guest performers in the night life circuit. Paris would book gigs at the popular Trans nightclub, Venus and perform with the cast of Showbettes. During this time, she would gain access to Hormone Replacement Therapy with the renowned Dr. Rodwell.
Dr. Rodwells office was a safe haven for the transgender community. On the front side, it operated as a family clinic. But within queer spaces, was known to administer a concoction of estrogen shots at $20 per visit. No insurance was required, and no blood work was done to monitor the effects on one’s kidneys as is deemed medically necessary in receiving HRT today. But one thing was undeniable, Dr. Rodwell’s hormone shots produced the most sickening look. You could tell which of the girls were getting the Dr. Rodwell effect. There was a level of femininity that his results alone would turn out and they were considered legendary. Many of the Fa’afafine that Paris studied with at Chaminade would visit Dr. Rodwells office on a weekly basis. It even became a competition to conceal whether you were seeing Rodwell so you could claim that your transition was just a natural occurrence. When you signed in to the log, you could see the list of names of other patients that checked in earlier that day. “It was a silent competition”. What even was HIPAA? Over time, the girls would sign in to the clinic under aliases and would laugh it off when they would run into each other there in between visits.
Inspired in part by her parents’ business acumen and the positive influence of Business Professor Dr. Fa’ato’afe at the American Samoa Community College, Paris would go on to graduate with Masters in Business Administration from Chaminade University in 2010. She credits some of her success and that of her sisters to sex work for funding her transition. “I never viewed it as anything negative, it was a necessity for girls like us.”
“I grew up in the golden age of Fa’afafine because I was in this really interesting generation where I had a lot of access to the older Queens. When I say older Queens, I think of Shevonne, Tasha, Roberta, and Sadies… and a generation under them like Athena, Jovi, and Shantay. I had direct access to them. And in my generation I had Isyss, Davina, Samantha, Monica and so many others.” Fa’afafines were everywhere. “The definitive relationship I had was with Curtis, my sister.” Paris’ eyes begin to swell up as she remembers Curtis who passed away in 2019. “She always made sure to put me first. And it was always interesting because I wasn’t the nicest. I was always mean to her because I always felt like, ‘Oh she’s my sister, I can do that to her.” Paris fights back tears as she continues. “But she was always super kind to me. And that’s something that ended up shaping my relationship with other Fa’afafine”. Curtis could’ve easily reprimanded Paris and forbid her from hanging around her age group, but she was always tender in nurturing their relationship. “I never wanted for anything”. Curtis was a major positive influence for Paris to stand proudly in her Fa’afafine identity and to be bold in the ways she displayed that. “With what little she had, she always took care of me”. When Paris wanted to compete in the pageant circuit as a teenager, there was no greater fan than that of Curtis who funded and sponsored her participation in these events. Encumbered with a deep sense of grief for Curtis, it was no longer possible to hold back the tears. “I feel bad because I feel like I took advantage of that and never had a chance to reciprocate that.”
Paris ran and lost in four pageants until she won the title of Miss Island Goddess in 2023. This past week, Paris prepared to step down from her role as the reigning Miss Island Goddess. Her legacy having been fostered by her beloved sister lives on not only through the lives she’s impacted through her leadership and service to the QTPI community at large, but through her 3 year old daughter, Curtis’ namesake. If there’s anything that Paris wants to instill in young Curtis, it’s that value of kindness she so lovingly remembers of her sister. And to that I would say to Paris, you’ve more than reciprocated Curtis’ kindness… more than a hundred fold.
