Kathoey Tourism
🛑 ALL INFORMATION CLICK HERE 👈🏻👈🏻👈🏻
Kathoey Tourism
Travel in your way, more fun with UME travel!
Tours
All Tours Can be Tailor-made.
Tours
All Tours Can be Tailor-made.
17 Facts You Never Know about Ladyboy Culture in Thailand
Last Updated: April 26,2021
Want to plan your trip better? Want an affordable private tour? Get the best tour packages in Southeast Asia as well as this FREE starter kit sent to your email right away - and plan your trip with our expert!
Copyright © 2022 UMETravel, All Rights Reserved.
Expert advice & Free custmization & Timely reply within 24 hours.
Thailand is known as the Land of Smiles , but it's also know as the Land of the Ladyboys ! Compared to other countries, like the Philippines or Malaysia, Thailand has a long history and higher population of ladyboys in the world. As a matter of fact the word " ladyboy " is the English translation for " Kathoey ", a Thai word for transgender women and effeminate gay men.
Read interesting things you don't know about Thailand ladyboys .
The term "transgender" is rarely used in Thailand. Instead, the common term is, "Kathoey" which was once used to define intersex people, human beings who were born with ambiguous genitalia.
Kathoey have become entirely common in Thai society, like everyone else, they go about their daily affairs: shopping, meeting with friends, using public transport, visiting the temple.
Ladyboy , transgender or the third gender is rarely used in Thailand.
Miss Tiffany's Show Pattaya 32 Finalist. Can you the different with real women?
Thailand beholds the highest rate of Transsexuals throughout the world. According to Sam Winter , the numbers differ from about 10,000 to (unofficial) 300,000. substantially above that estimated for transgender in most other parts of the world. Thai community creats a sound public opinion environment for those of a different sexual orientation. They can enjoy their freedom of expressing themselves.
The very first Thai ladyboy is said to present as early as the 14 centry. At that time, Thais started to identify waht is now known as ladyboy.
First Buddhist scriptures also mention 3 genders: a man, a woman and a kathoey. So, religion officially allows for the third gender to exist. Buddhist teachings also hold that the circumstances we live today are the product of the ways in which we lived our previous lives.
Another concept behind kathoey is the result of karma – in particular one was born kathoey as a consequence of some sexual misdemeanor in an earlier life or lives or that they failed to fulfill an expected role in the reproductive process, such as a man not caring for a woman who is pregnant by him.
Whatever the reason, it is important to note that the common belief says there is no escaping from the karmic consequences, everyone has been kathoey at once in previous lives and will be again in future ones, thus kathoey should be treated with compassion.
Kathoey acceptance in society depends on the area in which they live. In the bigger cities, it is more normalized to be kathoey. In more rural villages, treatment of kathoey is described as tolerance than acceptance.
Miss Tiffany's Universe is a beauty pageant for Thai transgender women in Pattaya , Thailand. The contest is open to all transgender women who may or may not have gone through sex reassignment surgery.
The Miss Tiffan'’s Universe contest held once a year is receiving more attention especially since it is broadcast live on Thai television with an average of 15 million viewers. The Miss Tiffany's Universe winner receives a trophy and crown, Honda Jazz, cash prizes, jewellery, and other gifts from sponsors.
See the contrast of winners of Miss Tiffany's Univers:
You can discover more interesting things and pictures of each winner here: Tiffany Cabaret Show in Pattaya
Cabaret shows are popular and widespread in Thai culture . The Calypso in Bangkok is said to be where Lady Gaga gained a lot of her inspiration, and the Tiffany has been compared to the Miss Universe of kathoey culture.
These cabaret shows include elaborate song and dance routines with elegant costuming. One might be tempted to compare these shows to the drag shows in the US, but in these shows the performers are not just taking on a female persona; many of them identify as women.
See more information about Calypso in Bangkok: Calypso Cabaret Show
The lifestyle of the kathoey varies as well. Mostly though, the kathoey live like other Thai people . They work as hair dressers, film makers, sex workers, waitresses, models, and other jobs that you would find any woman.
They have romantic relationships and are allowed to marry. Kathoey, like other trans people, are just that. People.
Kathoeys are more visible and more accepted in Thai culture than transsexuals are in other countries in the world. Several popular Thai models, singers and movie stars are kathoeys, and Thai newspapers often print photographs of the winners of female and kathoey beauty contests side by side.
The phenomenon is not restricted to urban areas; there are kathoeys in most villages, and kathoey beauty contests are commonly held as part of local fairs.
Kathoey have easy access to hormones and surgery. Local chain drug stores can carry as many as 23 hormonal preparations, all available (without a doctor's note) over the shop counter.
Many dress as women and undergo a wide range of "feminising" medical procedures such as breast implants, hormones, silicone injections, or Adam's apple reductions. That's why a Kathoey is hard to distinguish.
would any Thai man want to be a woman? We might here answer ‘yes’ more readily than for many other societies; Asian or otherwise. Thai women occupy a more advantageous position in Thai society than elsewhere in Asia. These last authors remark that Thai males tend to revere females, referring to them as the ‘peht mae’ (gender of mothers).
Conversely, all things worthy of reverence are conceived of as feminine; for example a great river is called mae-nam (‘mother-water’). Traditionally, a man’s family has paid a bride price upon a son marrying, while property inheritance has traditionally been through the daughter.
It may be that the changing nature of womanhood has helped kathoey in efforts to be accepted as female.
Once a young boy has become discontented about his gender identity, he finds that modern Thai society opens up for him a clear developmental path. On one hand media personalities – TG actresses, singers, models, beauty queens - provide role models to aim for.
Nearer at hand an older peer or often a fellow student, may provide first social contact with a kathoey.
These older role models can provide the young kathoey with important information; initially regarding hormones, clothes, make-up, beauty contests etc, and perhaps later on extending to information about employment and surgery.
A word here about economics. A nose operation can cost from US$240. Sex reassignment surgery can cost from US$950. To save even that money one needs a job while salaries are low in Thailand.
The costs of surgery therefore act to draw kathoey to the cabarets and bars for work. The cabarets are often unobjectionable spectacles of dance, music and costume for tourists. While the salaries are small much more might can be earned from tips given by tourists taking photos.
The bars, on the other hand, provide a vehicle for prostitution. Both provide a way of earning the kind of money that make surgery possible. Also with hope of meeting a Westerner who might take her to his country, where, apart from anything else, she might be able to achieve legal status as a female and marry. That's the ‘kathoey career’ for most Kathoey.
Like many countries, Thailand’s military has conscription by way of a lottery. In draft day, all men over 21 – even those who no longer consider themselves to be male – are required to attend the conscription lottery once. In practice, kathoey ladyboys are almost always exempted from military service – but they are still required to attend the lottery.
Thai law forbids people changing their gender on national identification documents, so all trans women remain officially recognised as male. These annual scenes of beautifully dressed women sitting among crowds of more conventionally male-looking recruits draws many eyes.
Today, the term kathoey is used to cover a broad spectrum of identities. This ranges from gay men that are more effeminate and may take on a persona in performance, not unlike drag shows in the US, to trans women.
It is important to note that identifying as kathoey, like other trans identities, is not dependent on the state of the body. Some kathoey undergo hormone therapies and gender confirmation surgeries, others do not.
As far as the Thai government is concerned, male to female transsexuals are legally men. Transsexuals cannot legally change their gender on their ID cards.
Transsexuals’ birth gender must remain the same on their passports as well, a fact which can lead to confusion and unwanted scrutiny at border crossings and immigration checkpoints.
Thailand also prohibits same sex marriage, meaning that when the partner of a transsexual dies, the deceased's family receives any and all assets.
Of course, there are Calypso Cabaret and Tiffany's Show Pattaya , but if you don't want a big show and the seedy underbelly of ladyboy beckons, ladyboy bars is your best bet.
At Nana Plaza in Bangkok or Pattaya Walking Street , you can find some real ladyboy bars. There are things, or rather, for everyone – from higher, more sports bar staff to Japanese female student type pole dancers.
Travel in Your Way, More Fun with UME Travel!
Copyright © 2022 UMETravel, All Rights Reserved.
Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.
To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to upgrade your browser .
Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.
Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. You can download the paper by clicking the button above.
Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.
To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to upgrade your browser .
Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.
Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. You can download the paper by clicking the button above.
If I had to ask you about Thailand, I bet it wouldn’t take long before the topic of “ladyboys” (or transexuals) came up.
It’s the subject of countless stories and numerous jokes. To those who don’t know much of Thailand, it’s easy to stereotype this country of 60 million people into having an abundance of this particular sexuality.
It’s a term that encompasses transvestites, transexuals and sometimes just gay people. Kathoey are more accepted into mainstream society and subject to less social stigma than in many countries and are so able to live their lives without hiding who they are.
The best estimates show that the actual percentage of transexuals in Thailand is pretty consistent with most of the world, around 0.3% – 0.6% .
The reasons for which are fascinating. Stick with me and I’ll get into the nitty gritty.
The general sense is that of a man who acts feminine. It isn’t used for female-to-male transexuals at all.
Is the English word ‘ladyboy’ considered offensive? This is a tricky question to answer. Generally speaking, I’d say no. I’ve known kathoey who’ve been happy to use the term about themselves, but that’s hardly speaking for everyone.
One the other hand, when you hear someone talk about ladyboys it’s often with a tone that is less than kind. The words transvestite or transgender don’t fully encapsulate the term either so for these reasons, I’m going to use the term kathoey .
(The Thai word kathoey also means a fruit with undeveloped seeds. It is believed that it morphed into the word for haemaphrodite and developed further from there.)
Thailand and particularly its urban areas such as Bangkok, Pattaya or Phuket are safe places for LGBT people including those who identify as kathoey or transexual.
In 2017, Bangkok was named the second-most gay-friendly city in Asia . The survey included “each city’s LGBT dating scene, nightlife, openness, safety, and legal rights.” Although it must be said Asia is not exactly number one continent for LGBT issues.
While it’s frowned upon to exhibit PDAs such as kissing or huggin in public, this is true of heterosexual interactions as well. Thailand is conservative in this respect and any kind of affection, even holding hands, may be looked down upon. Particularly by the older generations.
Attitudes are less relaxed away from urban areas. For example, there’s a definite sense of ‘shame’ for some families if their son turns out to be a kathoey . It’s in a similar vein to how in Western countries, perhaps several decades ago, having a gay son was considered to be shameful for the family.
On the surface, it appears that ladyboys experience far higher degrees of tolerance than they might in even the most progressive countries. A tall, broad-shouldered man, walking around in a flowery dress and heavy makeup will attract a lot of attention where I’m from (the UK). Mostly negative, perhaps even insulting or violent.
By contrast, the sight of a ladyboy in Thailand is of no more significance than seeing a policeman or a farang . It’s an everday occurrence. The idea of not being able to live their life without glares or insults is unthinkable.
That said, kathoey definitely experience discrimination. There are certain jobs that they are “allowed” to do (for want of a better word). Lots of ladyboys are hair stylists, for instance. A ladyboy whose dream is to become an architect or a lawyer, however, is going to find it tough to be taken seriously.
Here’s an interesting article on the plight of LGBT folks in Thailand. One transgender woman with a bachelor’s in education found herself rejected for several teaching positions on account of her gender identity. Such stories are common, despite the Thai constitution guaranteeing equal rights for all genders.
On TV shows, kathoey are rarely given leading parts. They are a source of humour and are often given the low-status jobs that they are stereotyped as having. This quote gives a good impression of how ladyboys are viewed in Thailand with regards to the media.
The entertainment industry accepts us with open arms because we poke fun at ourselves and make people laugh. But if we want to be taken seriously in a field like medicine we are not afforded the same courtesy.
On the more positive side, here’s an article from the BBC where Thailand shows itself to be more tolerant than almost anywhere else in the world. It tells the story of a rural school in the impoverished Northeastern region of Isaan that amazingly offer separate toilets for transexuals. The headteacher estimates between 10-20% of the male students identify as kathoey!
They used to be teased every time they used the boys’ toilets so they started using the girls’ toilets instead. But that made the girls feel uncomfortable. It made these boys unhappy, and started to affect their work.
Transgender people may have not reached absolute equality in Thailand but they experience greater acceptance and tolerance than they do in most other countries. On a purely personal note, I see more transgender people openly living their lives in an average month in Bangkok than I did during 25 years of living in the UK. So what are the reasons for this tolerance?
One theory is built upon the importance of religion and its influence on culture and gender roles. Many of the developed economies of the world are Christian nations or have had great Christian influence. I don’t think I need to mention Christianity’s distaste for homosexuals or the Bible’s fondness for burning them to death…
The dominant religion of Thailand is Theravada Buddhism with great influence from Hindu culture. Many of the great Hindu epics are celebrated in Thailand (notably the Ramayana) and the Thai language has a huge amount of Sanskrit and Pali loan words.
Some of these stories include tales of Gods that change gender which perhaps has some influence. Buddhism itself is particularly non-moralising towards LGBT issues as well.
On the other hand, other countries known for large transgender populations like Brazil and the Philippines are predominantly Christian countries, so perhaps religion has less to do with it than first appears.
Another point is that, like much of the world, Thailand has antiquated views on homosexuality where the idea of male-on-male intercourse is sinful, damaging or whatever, but a kathoey and a man having sex is fine. In fact, it’s common for men to have sex with kathoey but not consider themselves as gay as the traditional gender norms remain intact.
If homosexuality is frowned upon but being transexual is not, it makes sense that LGBT people would be attracted to a lifestyle that allows them to live without discrimination. In fact, as many kathoey age, they leave behind the girly clothes and mountains of makeup to simply live as gay men instead.
This is also evident in Thai lesbian culture. A lesbian relationship in Thailand is made up of a taawm (ทอม) and a dee (ดี้) to mean a ‘tomboy’ and a ‘lady’. Again, highlighting the need for an “opposite” sex in the couple.
Given the prevalence of kathoey in Thailand, you might think of the country as an LGBT-haven which rivals the more progressive Western countries. Unfortunately, it is not. The truth is murky and reveals the conservative side of the country which is more in line with its status as a developing economy.
While kathoey and other LGBT folk are tolerated and allowed to live their lives largely trouble-free, discrimination exists and is rife.
The biggest black mark on Thailand’s LGBT reputation is that of gay marriage. “ Thai law currently does not recognize same-sex marriages, civil unions, or domestic partnerships. ” Quite simply, in the eyes of the law, homosexuality does not exist. This means homosexual people do not enjoy many of the rights of heterosexual people. For example, only married couples are allowed to adopt which immediately prohibits LGBT people from adopting children.
In workplaces, LGBT people suffer serious discrimination and find themselves shoehorned into particular ‘feminine’ job roles such as hairdressers, wedding planners or clothes stylists.
On the plus side, things are changing. One notable example of progressiveness is in the recent (2019) elections where 4 LGBT politicians were elected as MPs for the Future Forward parts including one Kathoey, Tanwarin Sukkhapisit, The government has even stated that existing regulations on the dress code of MPs could be relaxed to allow for these new representatives.
The simple answer is that there are not. The estimated percentage of transgender people in Thailand is 0.3% which is roughly the same across all countries.
The reason it might appear that there are more transexuals in Thailand is that the country is much more tolerant (if hardly perfect) in allowing them to live out their lives in peace. In Western countries, it’s hard to imaging transexuals feeling comfortable being who they are in public or in the daytime. Even in our progressive day and age, it is something that is kept for safer spaces like LGBT clubs.
The term kathoey is an umbrella term for many gender identities, including transexual but also transvestites, hermaphrodites or simply homosexuals. with the broad theme of someone who identifies as transexual. For this reason, a kathoey can be either post-op or pre-op.
Thailand is a hugely popular place for gender reassignment
Cock Sucking Clips
Zenda Gangbang
Transsexual Naked