May 27th, 2007, 13:44
ThailandтАЩs тАШthird sexтАЩ seeks legal recognition
Androgynous Thais are out to change the countryтАЩs new constitution, says edward loxton
Visitors to Thailand may soon be asked to fill out immigration forms asking them to which of three genders they belong: male, female or other.
The third category is designed to embrace transsexuals, Thailand's high-profile community of mostly androgynous citizens called, in Thai, katoeys.
Katoeys, ranging from cross-dressers to young men who have completed the surgical process of becoming women, have long been an accepted and colourful section of the Thai community. Now they are pressing for full legal recognition of their status.
Ironically, their campaign received a boost with last September's coup that brought a straitlaced military junta to power. The generals are working on a new constitution, and katoeys see a chance of enshrining their rights in the new charter that has to be
Katoeys have long been an accepted section of the Thai community
completed by the end of the year.
Among the changes they want to see is an official recognition that a third sex exists in Thailand. Such recognition would be enshrined in all Thai documentation - including identification documents, passports and any form requiring personal details.
At present, many Thai transsexuals have difficulty obtaining passports and other identity documents because they are unable to declare conclusively to which gender they belong. Even though the cost of sex-change operations in Thailand (the equivalent of about ┬г1,500) is low by international standards, most transsexuals have difficulty raising the money and have to settle for breast implants and hormone treatment.
"They live in a sexual limbo," says Rapeepun Jommaroeng, assistant secretary of the Rainbow Sky Association, a gay rights organisation.
"Male or female, these people are still individuals and have their rights," says Nathee Teerarojjanaponse, president of the Thai Political Gay Group. "The new
constitution should recognise that."
Katoeys are a very visible section of Thai society, not only on the streets and in the hostess bars of Bangkok and other cities, but on the entertainment scene. No Thai television comedy show or soap opera is complete without a katoey or two, turning in camp performances that no Western producer would dream of demanding from his cast.
Two of Thailand's most successful theatre shows, the Simon Cabaret, in Pattaya and Chiang Mai, are Las Vegas-style spectaculars, lavishly staged and costumed, and so wholesome that they're billed as family entertainment. Many of the gorgeous 'girls' who strut their stuff on the Pattaya and Chiang Mai stages are working to save enough for a full sex-change operation.
With well-paid work in television or cabaret beckoning, Thai village families who used to send daughters off to Bangkok to earn money in its seedy bars and karaoke lounges are now known to encourage their sons to become katoeys. Some even end up with prosperous Western partners - like Pui, a
No Thai television comedy show or soap is complete without a katoey or two
Chiang Mai katoey who lives in some style with her/his Swedish male companion.
"I was turned down for military service and I've given up trying to get a passport," Pui says. "I feel like a third-class citizen. The least the government can do is to give us third-class status - as a third sex."
Earlier this month, a 21-year-old student, who says her aim is to work for transsexual rights, won a Pattaya pageant to find the country's most beautiful katoey. Thanyarasmi Siraphatphakorn (left) was crowned Miss Tiffany 2007 at an event watched by millions of Thais on national television. She won a new Mercedes Benz, a gem-studded tiara and the equivalent of ┬г1,500 in cash - just about the same amount of money she probably spent on sex-change operations.
FIRST POSTED MAY 17, 2007
http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk?storyID=6897
Androgynous Thais are out to change the countryтАЩs new constitution, says edward loxton
Visitors to Thailand may soon be asked to fill out immigration forms asking them to which of three genders they belong: male, female or other.
The third category is designed to embrace transsexuals, Thailand's high-profile community of mostly androgynous citizens called, in Thai, katoeys.
Katoeys, ranging from cross-dressers to young men who have completed the surgical process of becoming women, have long been an accepted and colourful section of the Thai community. Now they are pressing for full legal recognition of their status.
Ironically, their campaign received a boost with last September's coup that brought a straitlaced military junta to power. The generals are working on a new constitution, and katoeys see a chance of enshrining their rights in the new charter that has to be
Katoeys have long been an accepted section of the Thai community
completed by the end of the year.
Among the changes they want to see is an official recognition that a third sex exists in Thailand. Such recognition would be enshrined in all Thai documentation - including identification documents, passports and any form requiring personal details.
At present, many Thai transsexuals have difficulty obtaining passports and other identity documents because they are unable to declare conclusively to which gender they belong. Even though the cost of sex-change operations in Thailand (the equivalent of about ┬г1,500) is low by international standards, most transsexuals have difficulty raising the money and have to settle for breast implants and hormone treatment.
"They live in a sexual limbo," says Rapeepun Jommaroeng, assistant secretary of the Rainbow Sky Association, a gay rights organisation.
"Male or female, these people are still individuals and have their rights," says Nathee Teerarojjanaponse, president of the Thai Political Gay Group. "The new
constitution should recognise that."
Katoeys are a very visible section of Thai society, not only on the streets and in the hostess bars of Bangkok and other cities, but on the entertainment scene. No Thai television comedy show or soap opera is complete without a katoey or two, turning in camp performances that no Western producer would dream of demanding from his cast.
Two of Thailand's most successful theatre shows, the Simon Cabaret, in Pattaya and Chiang Mai, are Las Vegas-style spectaculars, lavishly staged and costumed, and so wholesome that they're billed as family entertainment. Many of the gorgeous 'girls' who strut their stuff on the Pattaya and Chiang Mai stages are working to save enough for a full sex-change operation.
With well-paid work in television or cabaret beckoning, Thai village families who used to send daughters off to Bangkok to earn money in its seedy bars and karaoke lounges are now known to encourage their sons to become katoeys. Some even end up with prosperous Western partners - like Pui, a
No Thai television comedy show or soap is complete without a katoey or two
Chiang Mai katoey who lives in some style with her/his Swedish male companion.
"I was turned down for military service and I've given up trying to get a passport," Pui says. "I feel like a third-class citizen. The least the government can do is to give us third-class status - as a third sex."
Earlier this month, a 21-year-old student, who says her aim is to work for transsexual rights, won a Pattaya pageant to find the country's most beautiful katoey. Thanyarasmi Siraphatphakorn (left) was crowned Miss Tiffany 2007 at an event watched by millions of Thais on national television. She won a new Mercedes Benz, a gem-studded tiara and the equivalent of ┬г1,500 in cash - just about the same amount of money she probably spent on sex-change operations.
FIRST POSTED MAY 17, 2007
http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk?storyID=6897