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Kathoey

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"Ladyboy" redirects here. For the Alan Partridge drink combination, see Ladyboy (Drinks).
Nong Tum is perhaps the most internationally recognised Kathoey for her portrayal in the film Beautiful Boxer.

The term kathoey or katoey (Template:Lang-th, IPA: [kaʔtʰɤːj]) generally refers to a male-to-female transgender person or an effeminate gay male in Thailand. They are sometimes referred to as ladyboys, or as sao (or phuying) praphet song ("a second kind of woman"), or phet thee sam (third sex). The word kathoey is thought to be of Khmer origin.

General description

The term "kathoey" is not an exact equivalent of the modern western transwoman — it suggests that the person is a type of male, unlike the term sao praphet song, which suggests a female sex identity, or phet thee sam, which suggests a third gender. Australian scholar of sexual politics in Thailand Peter Jackson claims that the term "kathoey" was used in premodern times to refer to intersexuals, and that the usage changed in the middle of the 20th century to cover cross-dressing males.[1] The term can refer to males who exhibit varying degrees of femininity — many kathoeys dress as women and undergo feminising medical procedures such as hormone replacement therapy, breast implants, genital reassignment surgery, or Adam's apple reductions. Others may wear makeup and use feminine pronouns, but dress as men, and are closer to the western category of effeminate gay man than transgender. Regardless of their gender presentation, their sexual orientation is towards men, who are not considered to be gay.[citation needed]

Kathoeys are often identified at a young age, and are considered to be "born that way". They may have access to hormones (available without prescription) and medical procedures during their teenage years.

The term "kathoey" may be considered pejorative, especially in the form "kathoey-saloey". It has a meaning similar to the English language "fairy" or "queen".[2]

Social context

Kathoeys usually work in traditionally feminine occupations, in shops, coffee bars and restaurants, beauty salons and hairstylists.[3] Many also work in entertainment and tourist centers, as dancers, in cabaret shows — Alcazar and Tiffanys in Pattaya are among the best known — or as prostitutes. There are also persistent reports of groups of kathoeys working as pickpockets in tourist areas, though these might be exaggerated stereotypes.

Compared to Western countries, where transgender and transsexuals are just beginning to become visible (and demand their rights), kathoeys are much more visible and more widely accepted in Thai culture: several popular Thai models, singers and movie stars are kathoeys, and Thai newspapers often print photos 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.

Some believe that this higher acceptance is due to the nature of the surrounding Buddhist culture, which places a high value on tolerance. Using the notion of Karma, some Thai believe that being a kathoey is the result of transgressions in past lives, concluding that kathoey deserve pity rather than blame. [4]

The lives of kathoeys are not as easy as many Westerners might believe. Families (and especially fathers) are typically disappointed if a son becomes a kathoey. Legal recognition of kathoeys is non-existent in Thailand: even after genital reassignment surgery, they are not allowed to change their legal sex.

Pattaya: Kathoeys on the stage of a cabaret show.

Recent developments

In 1996, a kathoey education student murdered a young woman. This was followed by negative coverage of kathoey in the Thai press; the Rajabhat Institutes (teacher training colleges) then closed their doors to all kathoey. The decision was reversed after protests by gay, lesbian and feminist groups.

Also in 1996, a volleyball team composed mostly of gays and kathoeys, known as the "Iron Ladies ", which was portrayed in two Thai movies, won the Thai national championship. The Thai government, concerned with the country's image, then barred two of the kathoey from joining the national team and competing internationally.

Among the most famous kathoeys in Thailand is Nong Tum, a former champion Thai boxer who emerged into the public eye in 1998. She was already cross-dressing and taking hormones while still a popular boxer; she would enter the ring with long hair and makeup, occasionally kissing a defeated opponent. She announced her retirement from professional boxing in 1999 — undergoing genital reassignment surgery, while continuing to work as a coach, and taking up acting and modeling. She returned to boxing in 2006.

In 2004, the Chiang Mai Technology School allocated a separate restroom for kathoeys, with an intertwined male and female symbol on the door. The 15 kathoey students are required to wear male clothing at school but are allowed to sport feminine hairdos. The restroom features four stalls, but no urinals.[5]

Following a similar group in Korea, the first all kathoey music group in Thailand was formed in 2006. It is named Venus Flytrap and was selected and promoted by Sony BMG Music Entertainment.[6]

Following the Military Coup in Thailand in 2006 kathoeys are hoping for a new third sex to be added to passports and other official documents in a proposed new constitution. [7]

Films

Ladyboys is a 1992 documentary film made for Channel 4 TV and directed by Jeremy Marre of Harcourt Films [1]. It relates the story of two teenage kathoey who prepare for and enter a rural beauty contest and then leave for Pattaya to find work in a cabaret revue.

The story of the 1996 Iron Ladies volleyball team underlies the humorous and successful 2000 movie The Iron Ladies and the 2003 sequel The Iron Ladies 2. The 1996 team and the movie inspired other kathoey in the nation to step up for themselves.

The 2002 Thai film Saving Private Tootsie tells the story of a group of gays and kathoey who need to be rescued after a plane crash in rebel-held jungle territory. The film explores anti-gay attitudes in various ways. It is loosely based on an incident in December 1998 when a group including a popular singer and his kathoey makeup artist survived a plane crash.

The life of the kathoey kick boxer Nong Tum is related in the 2003 movie Beautiful Boxer. Unlike The Iron Ladies 1 & 2, Beautiful Boxer used a serious tone.

In the 2005 Thai martial arts film The Warrior King or Tom yum goong, the main villain, Madame Rose, is a kathoey, and there are two references to this in the film (for the US release these were edited out). She is played by Jin Xing who is herself transgendered.

See also

References

  1. ^ Jackson, Peter (2003). Performative Genders, Perverse Desires: A Bio-History of Thailand's Same-Sex and Transgender Cultures. in "Intersections: Gender, History and Culture in the Asian Context," Issue 9, August 2003. See paragraph "The Homosexualisation of Cross-Dressing."
  2. ^ http://www.cpamedia.com/culture/thailand_kathoey/
  3. ^ Winter S, Udomsak N (2002). Male, Female and Transgender: Stereotypes and Self in Thailand. International Journal of Transgenderism. 6,1
  4. ^ Richard Totman, The Third Sex: Kathoey: Thailand's Ladyboys, Souvenir Press, London (2003), p.57. ISBN: 0-285-63668-5
  5. ^ "Transvestites Get Their Own School Bathroom", Associated Press, June 22, 2004.
  6. ^ "‘Katoeys’ hit the music scene", The Star, 3 February 2007.
  7. ^ "Thailand’s ‘third sex’ seeks legal recognition". The First Post. May 17, 2007.

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