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'''Phineas Hartson LLB.BA.GDLP. Fa'afafine Human Rights Lawyer'''

Phineas is a Human Rights, Refugee, LGTBIQ, Fa'afafine Lawyer based in Sydney Australia. Phineas was the first Fa'afafine to attend and graduate in Law from an Australian University (University of Technology Sydney) where she gained a Bachelor of Laws Degree and Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice.

Phineas also has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education Psychology from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. In 2013 Phineas in partnership with the Samoan Fa'afafine Association (SFA) President Roger Stanley and Lawyers Ymania Brown and Alex Sua (current President of SFA) assisted in the amendment of the Samoan Crimes Ordinance 1961 which criminalized LGTBIQ relationships of consenting adults. This provision and other anti-LGTBIQ provisions were deleted and amended resulting in the 2013 Samoan Crimes Act.

This was through submissions to the Samoan Law Reform Commission. Changes to the legislation and the creation of the new "Crimes Act 2013" was the result of their advocacy.

Phineas has been involved in supporting and research regarding LGTBIQ law reform in the Pacific through the United Nations Human Rights Law Reform networks, Pacific Sexual Diversity Network and others in the Pacific and in Australia and New Zealand.

Phineas is an author writing for "Spasifik" Magazine as Australian correspondent between 2012-2015 and has contributed articles online for NZ News Media. He was also one of the writers for "Samoan Queer Lives" Dan Taulapapa McMullin and Yuki Kihara.

He also is a writer involved in refugee advocacy in Australia with articles in SBS Radio and online News media.

Phineas has contributed to research and submissions for LGTBIQ law reform, Fa'afafine and Refugee submissions to the Australian Senate regarding proposed legislation making "indefinite immigration detention unlawful". In 2023 the High Court of Australia eventually found that indefinite detention was infact in breach of the Australian consitution and deemed unlawful.

Phineas is also a singer songwriter with songs "Ill Be There" being played in New Zealand and Australian Community Radio stations including; Skid Row Radio Sydney, 531PI and NIU FM Auckland New Zealand. Phineas also appeared in the Australian X-Factor 2013 13th Season as one of the "Blind Auditions".