Marriage Equality USA

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American Samoa
All in this Region

Current Status


 HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

  • Culturally, there is historical tolerance of homosexuality in Samoa. There is a tradition of raising some of the boys in a family as girls to play important domestic roles in Samoan life. These people are known as fa'afafine, but their roles do not equate with Western gayness. This tradition creates widespread cultural acceptance of M-T-F transgender people.
  • In 2003 the AS Senate killed a bill that would have banned recognition of same-sex marriages.
  • In 2012 the Prime Minister spoke out publicly against marriage equality, stating that American Samoa is a "Christian nation." 
  • Following the 2013 SCOTUS ruling in United States v. Windsor, both the IRS and the Department of Labor (DOL) wrote that for their purposes the term "spouse" refers to any individual who is lawfully married under any state law, including individuals married to a person of the same sex who were legally married in a state that recognizes such marriages, but who are domiciled in a state that does not recognize such marriages. This applies to American Samoa.

Legislation - Pending

None.

Legislation - Enacted

None.

Lawsuits - Pending

None.

Lawsuits - Resolved

None.

Ballot Initiatives - Pending

None.

Ballot Initiatives - Passed

None.

Polls

  • We were unable to locate marriage equality polling specifically for American Samoa.