Kathoey: The World of Thai Transgender.

The term “kathoey” refers in general to the transgender community, particularly male to female, of Thailand. It is a difficult word for it can be used as a pejorative term approximately equivalent to “queer” or “queen” in as derogatory terms for gays in western culture. It does however have some ancestry having probably been used in medieval Thailand to refer to intersex individuals and later adapted to cover the whole spectrum of male to female transgenderism in modern Thailand. In no way is my use of the word here intended in any negative sense and I am aware that some Thai transgender ladies dislike the term preferring such Thai expressions as phu-ying praphet thi sorng, which roughly translates as “woman of the second kind”.
Thailand has one of the highest numbers of transgendered women, in proportion to its population, of any nation on the planet. Largely the large kathoey population is accepted by society as a whole, probably as a result of the prevalent Buddhist religion which is generally more tolerant and compassionate than most other world religions. Kathoey work overwhelmingly in female occupations, such as shop girls, in beauty salons and as waitresses. In spite of the general tolerance however there is still widespread job discrimination and huge numbers of kathoey are forced to the margins of society and find employment as dancers and entertainers in cabarets in the city night scenes. They also make up a visible proportion of the country’s sex workers.
One particular feature of the kathoey world is the enormous popularity of kathoey beauty pageants. The “Miss Tiffany Universe” beauty pageant is the largest and most prestigious transgender beauty contest in the world and is as popular in Thailand (a country obsessed with beauty pageants) as mainstream contests, with massive television and media coverage. The kathoey beauty contest is not merely restricted to the large cities however. They are widely popular throughout the country and even small rural or provincial towns run their own kathoey pageants, For young transgendered Thai girls, such pageants are a dream; a way off the streets and potentially into glittering careers as, models, entertainers and actresses. Indeed the media coverage of prominent kathoey means that many of the most famous people in Thailand are transgendered women and they are well represented in the gallery on this page accompanying this text. There are several Miss Tiffany winners here, a number of actresses and models, one very famous Thai kick boxer (Nong Toom), the phenomenal “Thailand’s Got Talent” contestant Bell Nuntita and a kathoey pop group called “Venus Flytrap” as well as a sample of beautiful kathoey from the streets and cabarets of Thailand.
In spite of the colourful role this community plays in Thai culture and society kathoey have yet to gain official acceptance in Thailand and are unable to change their legal status to the gender they identify as. They are unable to obtain enrolment in Thai teacher training colleges and are still considered legally male even after sex reassignment surgery. In a notorious incident, a kathoey volleyball team which won the national championship (The Iron Ladies) in 1996 was banned from joining the national team and competing internationally in the misguided opinion that it would harm Thailand’s image abroad. Nobody seems to have told the Thai authorities that their kathoey community is one of the country’s most colourful and popular attractions!
This blog and the accompanying gallery then is a celebration of the beauty and vibrancy of one of the world’s most visible and beloved transgender communities and a plea for their long fight for legal recognition and a way of thanking them for making the world a brighter place.

Michaela.


Fly the Flag ladies! xxx