Meet the sistagirls of Australia's Tiwi Islands

Meet the sistagirls of Australia's Tiwi Islands - Australia's remote Tiwi Islands are home to the largest per capita transgender population in the country. More specifically, this is where you'll find the sistagirls, a community of queer and transgender Aboriginal people. So, what exactly is their story? Find out in this gallery!

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The Tiwi Islands -

The remote Tiwi Islands are part of Australia's Northern Territory, and comprise Melville Island and Bathurst Island, as well as nine smaller uninhabited islands.

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Yimpininni - The sistagirls are queer or transgender Aboriginal people of the Tiwi Islands who have traditionally been known as yimpininni.

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Pre-colonization -

The advocacy group Sisters and Brothers NT says there's evidence and oral history that suggests the sistagirls were a part of Aboriginal communities long before colonization.

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A transgender community - The Tiwi Islands actually have the largest per capita transgender population in Australia.

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Demographics - Writes News.com.au: "Up to five per cent of approximately 3,000 residents identify as transgender, gay, lesbian or bisexual. Some sistagirls are reportedly as young as six."

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Dark days - Intolerance in the Tiwi Islands led to numerous suicides among the sistagirls, with it taking over 15 years for widespread acceptance to be the norm.

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'Sistagirl' - A 2010 documentary called 'Sistagirl' brought new attention to the community, but the sistagirls were still hardly mainstream in their homeland.

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Their real debut - It may shock you to learn that the sistagirls only really came to prominence in 2017, after being invited to take part in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

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Crowdfunding - A group of 30 sistagirls made it to Sydney after a successful crowdfunding campaign.

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A long trip - They traveled over 2,485 miles (about 4,000 km) to represent their community for the first time ever at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardis Gras.

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VICE documentary - It was a big deal! After the buzz around their Mardis Gras appearance, a VICE documentary about the sistagirls was released.

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Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras -

In the following images, you'll see the sistagirls out and about at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade on March 4, 2017.

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Tradition - The sistagirls wore traditional Tiwi designs, as seen here.

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Positively glowing - They turned up with screen-printed outfits with glow-in-the-dark paint.

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A diverse family - There's a lot of diversity within the sistagirls. For instance, while in the past the community was exclusively made up of transgender Aboriginal people, the sistagirl family now includes queer individuals, gay men, and so on.

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Among friends - Over 10,000 people shared the parade route with the sistagirls.

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Crowd-pleasers - As for spectators, hundreds of thousands hit the streets to watch.

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Adoring fans - See? The crowds loved the sistagirls, who also appreciated the attention.

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A new era - With a history marked by abuse and suicide (to name but a few instances of adversity), this happy moment was truly a long time coming.

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Sistagirl smile - Really—who could resist this smile?

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Embraced - This sistagirl looks to be enjoying this hug a little too much.

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Oh, what a night - A cheeky one, this sistagirl. Enjoying the view?

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Diva - When you've got it, go ahead and flaunt it!

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Queens of the parade - Looking quite glamorous, it really was the sistagirls moment to shine.

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Pause and puff - But the queens were clearly not above a smoke break!

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On theme - All the prep work that went into this sistagirl's hair was very much worth it.

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Night moves - The sistagirls partied well into the night.

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Their moment - The sistagirls of Tiwi Islands will certainly be retelling the story of Mardi Gras 2017 for years to come.

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Arrived -

The sistagirls are officially here to stay.

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Meet the sistagirls of Australia's Tiwi Islands

Get to know this queer and transgender Aboriginal community

02/02/20 | StarsInsider

LIFESTYLE Lgbt

Australia's remote Tiwi Islands are home to the largest per capita transgender population in the country. More specifically, this is where you'll find the sistagirls, a community of queer and transgender Aboriginal people. So, what exactly is their story? Find out in this gallery!