Hello fellow beauty lovers.
Welcome to the second part of my latest weekly series on Friday. I already announced in my previous article that this will be all about the third gender in Thailand: Ladyboys. I will highlight a couple of different perspectives concerning the often misunderstood world of Kathoeys. Today’s article will answer your questions about the transformation itself.
The wish to adapt the body to the inner perception of one’s true gender is bigger than we could possibly ever imagine. People, who are willing to go such a painful path of transforming their bodies are already emotionally and mentally injured to an extent no operation could ever reach. But the path to a whole other body does not begin with a surgery. It begins with a hormone therapy.
As already mentioned, we accompany Golf, a young Thai, who is about to go through her personal physical transformation. She began her very own “therapy” whilst still being a young boy. Through transsexual friends she got the tip to use the contraceptive pill to kick-start the transformation – with success. Those pills can be legally purchased without the permission of your doctor, which is precisely why Kathoeys can begin their therapy so early on. The pills have the effect of subduing the male hormone testosterone. The boys also take female hormones to alter their voices and the shapes of their bodies.
But as you may have already guessed, this therapy is only the beginning. A lot of Kathoeys undergo breast surgeries (the average cost of this surgery: 1000€ in Thailand) and other painful surgical gender reassignments (about 4200€). Golf underwent her surgery in Bangkok with the help of a surgeon, who is known as luminary in this field of surgeries.
This operation does not only include the removal of the male organ but also the formation of a functioning female vagina. The surgeon uses the skin of the former penis to form the vulvar and the glans where all the nerves are ending to form the clitoris… That is how Golf will still be able to feel sexual stimulation after the surgery. The only thing that she won’t be able to produce is the natural vaginal secretion during coitus.
3 things on the agenda secure the success of this surgery. One being not to destroy the nerves in the organ itself, two being the perfect look of the final result and of course the appropriate depth of the entrance. Golf has to actively participate to make sure that that last point on the agenda can be met. For a period of 6 months Golf has the task of inserting a special device into her vagina to make sure that it won’t grow back together. She has to do this twice a day. After 3 months things will be completely healed, which is why she has to carry a special formed pillow with her all the time because she can’t risk sitting down on hard surfaces. She also claimed that she was practically bound to her bed 5 days straight without being able to feeding herself properly due to the extreme pain. It’s a lot to take in and a quite high price to pay. But Golf has never been any happier than after her procedure.
It’s surprising what depths people would go to pursue their true beliefs and dreams. Don’t forget to tune in next week. We’re not quite done with Golf’s story and I promise you, it will be worth your while.
Yours truly,
Lana Hoang
Copyright and Source: http://www.spiegel.tv/filme/ladyboys/
