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A kathoey or katoey (in Thai กะเทย) or ladyboy is a male-to-female transgendered person in Thailand. They are sometimes referred to as the third sex in Thailand.
Virtually all kathoey cross-dress and take female hormones; most have breast implants; some also undergo sex change surgery to remove their genitals and form female ones. A few also have surgery at their Adam's apple.
Kathoey often start to cross-dress, take female hormones and undergo various surgerical procedures at quite a young age, compared to typical Western transsexuals. Their makeup, dress and figure is usually very feminine, so much so that the most stunning "females" in Thailand are frequently kathoey. They can often be found in entertainment and tourist centers, working as dancers, in cabaret shows or as prostitutes; ladyboys working in regular shops are however not uncommon. There are also persistent reports of groups of ladyboys working as pickpockets in tourist areas.
Compared to Western countries, where transsexuals and transsexual rights are just beginning to emerge, kathoey are much more visible and more widely accepted in Thai culture. Some believe this is due to the nature of the surrounding Buddhist culture, which places a high value on tolerance. On the other hand, legal recognition of ladyboys is non-existant in Thailand: even after a sex-change operation, they are not allowed to change their legal sex.
Kathoey in Thailand appear to be more common than transsexuals in Western countries. One possible explanation is their relative cultural acceptance, combined with the fact that open homosexuality remains much more of a taboo. Becoming a kathoey might thus be a solution for a number of male homosexuals. However, kathoey generally seek sexual partners who are "normal" men not identifying themselves as gay. The life as a kathoey is not without strains: their suicide rate is significantly higher than that of the general population.
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 had to be reversed after protests of gay, lesbian and feminist groups.
In 1996, a volleyball team composed mostly of kathoey, known as "The Iron Ladies", won the Thai national championship. Their story underlies the successful 2000 movie The Iron Ladies and the 2003 movie The Iron Ladies 2.
Among the most famous ladyboys in Thailand is Nong Tum, a former champion kick boxer. She was already cross-dressing and taking hormones while still a popular boxer; her career ended in 1999 when she had a sex-change operation. Her life is related in the 2003 movie Beautiful Boxer.
External links
- Andrew Matzner: In Legal Limbo: Thailand, Transgendered Men, and the Law, 1999. Criticizes the common view that kathoey are fully accepted by Thai society.
- Chanon Intramart and Eric Allyn: Beautiful Boxer, 2003. Describes the story of Nong Tum.