DallasVoice.com – By Daniel A. Kusner – LifeStyle Editor
Ohau — an American cultural paradise for ’tween genders
Waikiki – On a recent Sunday night, a white convertible pulls up to the porte cochère of the Outrigger Hotel. In the front seat are Shevon Matai and her cousin Tiare Fidao: two buxom ladies with hibiscus flowers in their hair. We drive to nearby Kapiolani Park and head to Queen Surf, Waikiki’s “gay beach” where Shevon unfolds a hand-woven blanket that’s bigger than most studio apartments.
While the Hawaiian sunset dips into the Pacific horizon, my friendly tour guides teach me how to correctly pronounce fa’afafine (fah-fah fee-nay). It’s a term from Shevon and Tiare’s homeland: Samoa. Fa’afafine roughly translates to “like a woman.”