Official Name: Kingdom of Tonga
Population: 104,000
Capital: Nuku'alofa - Pop. 35,000
Area: 748 sq. km. / 465 sq. miles.
Language: Tongan, English
Religion: Christianity
Status of Homosexuality: Legal
Telephone Country Code: 676
The Kingdom of Tonga, an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprises 169 islands, 36 of them inhabited and stretches over a distance of about 800 kilometres (500 miles) in a north-south line. The islands lie south of Samoa, about one-third of the way from New Zealand to Hawaiʻi. Tonga is the only surviving monarchy among the island nations of the Pacific Ocean, as well as being the only island nation never to have been formally colonized.
As for homosexuality in this tiny kingdom: one blogger has posted this observation: "As a member of the gay civil liberty rights, I applaud the king of Tonga for turning his back on the Tongan culture and displaying the embodiement of the person that he really is. Of course he never wanted to marry a woman! And since his countrymen would never accept same sex marriages, he had no alternative but to remain a "batchelor" as the press put it." (#67)
Another blog post is as follows: "I have no doubt the new king is gay. He has openly embraced that lifestyle and for decades has defied attempts by his parents and countless others to “conform.” It will be interesting to see how many changes in the “civil liberties for gays” arena actually take place in the near future, given the fact that he . . . “is voluntarily surrendering his powers to meet the democratic aspirations of many of his people” and promised to “cede most power to a prime minister, and to hold parliamentary elections in 2010.” I can’t see the general Tongan population embracing it, but you never know." (#76)
Another blogger said: "the king is not gay! he has children. he has his own personal reason for not married and everyone should respect that and stop spreading second hand rumours. well, we can't change the world but we can change ourselves we just have to look deep down and find the best in each of us, may be we see the world in a different way." (#89)
GlobalGayz is a gay-owned travel, news and culture website focused on les-bi-gay-trans life in countries around the world. It is based on actual visits to far and near countries. Here are Stories, Links, News & Reports and Photo Galleries for more than 190 countries.