Ladyboys, also known as its Thai term kathoey. Kathoey has an original sense of "hermaphordite" but is now commonly associated with transvestite or transexual.[1] Ladybodys are increasingly "passing" for women.[2]
Thailand's Ladyboy Culture
editActivism
editActivism in Thailand is discouraged if it interferes with official policy.[3] In January 2006, the Thai Network of People Living With AIDS had their offices raided after deomstrations against Thai-US foreign trade agreements.[3] Under the Thai Constitution of 1997, the right to be free of discrimination based on health conditions helped to minimize the stigma against communities living with HIV/AIDS.[3]
Ladyboy Performance
editRepresentation in cinema
editLadyboys began to gain prominence in Thai cinema during the late 1980s.[4] The depiction at first was negative with ladybodys suffering from bad karma, commiting suicide, and abandoned by straight lovers.[5] Independent films contributed to defying sexual norms in queer cinema in the 1990s.[2] The film The Iron Ladies notably showed ladybodys as confident and their lives positive. The depiction at first was negative with ladybodys suffering from bad karma and acting clownish.[6]
Miss Tiffany's Universe
editMiss Tiffany's Universe is a beauty contest that is opened to all transgender women. Beginning in 1998, the pageant takes place every year in May. With over 100 applicants, all across Thailand, the pageant is considered to be one of the most popular transgender pageant in the world.
Miss Qipao Pageant
editPopular Plastic Surgery
editThailand is at the forefront of the growing practice of sex-reassignment surgery. The country's medical tourism industry attracts more than 2 million visitors per year.
Facial Feminization Surgery
editFacial Feminization Surgery (FFS) is a set of reconstructive surgical procedures that alter features of a male to female. FFS includes procedures such as breast augmentation, tracheal shaving, cheek augmentation, neck lift, jaw shaving, rhinoplasty (nose reduction), and more to increase femininity. [7]
Sex Reassignment Surgery
editDocumentary: Thailand’s Third Gender=
edit- ^ 1. Jackson, Peter A. Male homosexuality in Thailand: an interpretation of contemporary Thai sources. Elmhurst, NY: Global Academic Publishers, 1989. Print.
- ^ a b Morris, R. C. "Three Sexes and Four Sexualities: Redressing the Discourses on Gender and Sexuality in Contemporary Thailand." Positions: east asia cultures critique2.1 (1994): 15-43. Web.
- ^ a b c Cameron, Liz. "Sexual Health and Rights Sex Workers, Transgender People & Men Who have Sex with Men." OPEN SOCIETY INSTITUTE Public Health Program(2006): n. pag. Web. 24 Mar. 2017.
- ^ Ünaldim Serhat. Queer Bangkok: twenty-first-century markets, media, and rights. Aberdeen, Hong Kong: Hong Kong U Press, 2011. Print.
- ^ Ünaldim Serhat. Queer Bangkok: twenty-first-century markets, media, and rights. Aberdeen, Hong Kong: Hong Kong U Press, 2011. Print.
- ^ Ünaldim Serhat. Queer Bangkok: twenty-first-century markets, media, and rights. Aberdeen, Hong Kong: Hong Kong U Press, 2011. Print.
- ^ "Gender reassignment surgery, SRS, FFS, transgender surgery in Thailand." Estetica Thailandia - free medical concierge service exclusively for transgender. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2017.