Hello fellow beauty lovers.
Welcome back to the fourth part of my new series in which I discuss the most interesting aspects and perspectives concerning the third sex in Thailand. If you are curious about whether or not Ladyboys are in fact the better ladies click here to read my last article about why sex tourists sometimes prefer Ladyboys over women.
Kathoeys have a unique place in the Thai society – at least so it seems. We often hear Thai mothers say how normal it can be to give birth to a son and then raising a daughter. In general people seem to think that Thailand is in fact the perfect place for Ladyboys to exist and be happy.
A lot of tourists come here not only to admire the beautiful landscape, they want to see and experience the third sex of the country. And because of the curiosity of said tourists, Ladyboys get hired for well-paid jobs in nightlife establishment and I am not talking about the escort business. More and more, Kathoeys get their minute in the limelight by incorporating themselves into Cabaret shows. At first sight it does seem like the perfect job. Those women get to be who they aspire to be and on top of that get paid without having to sell their bodies. The shows indeed are very popular amongst the tourists but also amongst locals. It does seem like the perfect dream boat. But if you look closely, maybe even behind the scenes, you soon will realize that not everything is all rosy.
As paradox as it sounds, the Carbaret branch is the perfect poof of the sad fact that transsexuals aren’t regarded and accepted as what they want to be: women. They are degraded to a mere tourist attraction. Furthermore, you can still see only a few successful kathoeys outside of the show biz and the sex branch. A kathoey with a white collar job? Still a rarity.
In the end, I realized that I truly regret shoosing the title “The Third Gender” for my little series. Calling transsexuals the third gender, something which is either male or female surely is offensive because transsexuals do feel female in the very end.
Behind this world full of glamour, kathoeys are just human beings like us, who are looking for acceptance and love. To this day, the Thai law doesn’t allow kathoeys to change their sex in their passport or on their ID.
This means that marriage is impossible for those who love a man because same-sex marriages in general are forbidden.
Nevertheless, I really hope that someday all this change in Thailand and everywhere around the world.
That is it, ladies and gents. That was my very last article concerning the Kathoeys. I truly hope that I could surprise you now and then with a little fact you did not know yet and I hope you could get a glimpse into the world of Ladyboys.
After the weekend you’ll find me back here, doing a Fall Manicure for you.
Yours truly,
Lana Hoang
http://www.bangkok.com/magazine/playhouse.htm
