Patrick Thomsen, Author at E-Tangata

Manalagi, Mariah — and a Pacific queer story

Posted by Patrick Thomsen | Dec 10, 2023 | Reflections

“What is it like to grow up Pacific and queer — or in my case, gay and fa’afafine in Aotearoa-New Zealand? If I had to describe it in one word, I’d say: ‘Lonely.’” — Seuta’afili Dr Patrick Thomsen.

Reflections on democracy’s coming of age in the heart of Polynesia

Posted by Patrick Thomsen | Apr 18, 2021 | Comment & Analysis

“I hope that we dispel once and for all the myth that democracy in Sāmoa and the wider Pacific is uneventful or unsophisticated and unworthy of New Zealand attention.” — Patrick Thomsen.

Our Pacific communities do have love for us

Posted by Patrick Thomsen | Mar 21, 2021 | Reflections

“I know that Pacific communities do have space and love for us, even if the extremist religious groups seem to have the loudest microphones.” — Seuta’afili Dr Patrick Thomsen.

Not all of us find our way home

Posted by Patrick Thomsen | Sep 27, 2020 | Reflections

“From the outside, my life looked positively magical. But this perfectly curated image that I had crafted on social media, hid the reality of what life was really like for me abroad.” — Patrick Thomsen.

Finding my way home

Posted by Patrick Thomsen | Aug 9, 2020 | Reflections

“The people I once loved 11 years ago had changed. They had experienced their own joys, growth, traumas and regressions. Distance had grown between many of us.” — Seuta’afili Dr Patrick Thomsen on coming “home”.

Hoping for a dose of humanity and decency

Posted by Patrick Thomsen | Jul 19, 2020 | Reflections

“There can be no open, fair and honest conversations or ‘equality’ when one side denies your history, denies your narrative, denies your suffering.” — Patrick Thomsen.

We’re part of New Zealand’s Pacific story

Posted by Patrick Thomsen | May 31, 2020 | Reflections

“I’ve found it disheartening that their stories are almost always left out when we talk about Pacific peoples and our contribution to New Zealand society.” — Seuta’afili Dr Patrick Thomsen on the Pacific’s Rainbow and Queer community.

Language, identity and ‘real’ Sāmoans

Posted by Patrick Thomsen | May 17, 2020 | Identity, Reo

“The issue of language and identity haunts all Sāmoans who were raised in New Zealand. I know this because of the recurring conversation on social media around whether you can call yourself a ‘real’ Sāmoan if you don’t speak the language.” — Patrick Thomsen.