The Kathoeys in Thailand

Third genders, hermaphrodites, intersexuality and transgender are groups that have been part of societies since the beginning of time. Many communities accept the third sex, from Thailand, Samoa to American Indians and the Philippines. However different societies treat these groups of people from culture to culture. In Thailand, there is a culture where young men exploit their own sexual orientation. These men are known to be a part of the kathoey culture in Thailand. The term “Kathoey” refers to a male to female transgender person in Thailand. Though in fact they are men, they have feminine qualities untypical of a man, not only in appearance or manner. Other societies such as the Western culture call these men effeminate. They are also called “lady-boys” or “sago”, in the Thailand society which means a second kind of women. “For those who are who embark on the road to becoming ‘lady-boys’ are not only accepted by their peers - they are seen by aspiring younger boys as heroines and role models” (Totman). Though they are men, Kathoey men are not equivalent to the modern “trans-woman”, which is referred to a person who is biologically born as a male but feels that this is not a complete description of himself so he would identify himself as a woman. The Thai culture suggests that the person is male appearing in a female identity and is accepted as the third gender; individuals that are neither men nor women.

Though becoming a Kathoey man is sometime the solution for a number of male homosexuals in Thailand. After they become a Kathoey man they have no interest in a female companion. They usually seek male sexual partners who identify themselves as heterosexual. This is usually common since they have become feminine and chosen a complete different image of them self. Their interest of the heterosexual men is that heterosexuality attracts people from the opposite sex, but they are some Kathoey men who still have male genitals.



Story Continues...