Ladyboys: The Secret World of Thailand Third Gender
Authour: Susan Aldous with Pornchai Sereemongkonpol
Publisher: Maverick House, 2008
Pages: 291
Publisher: Maverick House, 2008
Pages: 291
Price: 525 baht
This extraordinary book is an intimate portrait of Thailand’s ladyboys: the men who have chosen to become women. Funny, passionate, angry and provocative, Ladyboys is a no-holds-barred look at the secret lives of Thailand’s transsexual men.
The book offers intimate details of the lives that they’ve never publicly revealed. They talk about the choices they’ve made, their relationships, families, frustrations and hopes.
The stories include those of an exotic cabaret performer, a sex worker and even a Muay Thai boxing champion. Ladyboys will leave you amused, saddened, and entertained.
Foxy Frangipani Says:
The hotel that I stay during my trips to Bangkok always has some magazines around. Something similar to Bangkok 101 caught my eye this round. And at the book review section I came across this book. I paid a visit to Asia Books and finally got it.
I've been to Bangkok so many times and each trips I'd come across transgenders but didn't really give much thought. This trip however, the massage place I frequent employed one and after observing her and reading this book, gave me alot of mixed feelings.
This book is a collection of stories from 9 transgenders - they are referred to as kathoeys. Sad to read that majority if not all of them are not easily accepted by the public. More reasons contributing to my mixed feelings:-
- Many of them came from poor family backgrounds. If you imagine poor as living without nice cars and 3 room houses; imagine a living of at least 5 siblings without TV, car, a salary of 200 Baht; working in the rice field for hours under the scorching sun or sleeping in the streets.
- They suffered mental abuse at a very young age when they realized they are not like other "normal" boys. Parents or siblings beat them up. They were labelled with terms like "wrongful incarnations".
- They were looked down by the society, hence is almost impossible to secure a proper job eg office worker. No wonder alot of them end up being a go-go dancer, or prostitute :(
- At "work" they need to learn a skill called taep-ing. Pulling back their penises between their legs and taping them so there is no bulge when they wear their bikinis. Imagine that they need to do this daily, and sitting on it..
- To be accepted they go to the extreme in taking hormone pills and collagen injections daily, sometimes with 3 meals a day!! Health my dear, is always compromised! All this just to grow breasts and to look more womanly.
- The more extremes would go for sexual reassignment. These group of people usually hate their male genitals. Or are tired of daily taep-ing. It just dawned to me that the real horror comes after the surgery. They need to insert 3 sizes of dilators to prevent the "wound" (or vagina) from closing up. Can you imagine sitting on a dilator after a surgery!?? One almost bled to death - the nurse kept pushing in the dilators but the blood gushes it out... just reading this is enough to bring tears to my eyes.
- If they did not end up dying young due to the excessive hormone pills, they usually end up living in shabby places. Like Lily the granny who gave indecent massages at Khao San Road. Incidentally before my trip there while I was reading up on Khao San Road, I read an experience from a backpacker that she was a victim of Granny Lily. How unfortunate for both!
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This book really open up my view in life. I think it is not difficult to respect each other as a unique person. After all kathoeys are human too, and I do not have a problem addressing them as Miss or She. They are just trying to be their true self which makes them happy. Many of us "normal" people wear an invisible mask in life. Which is more shameful...?
If they are a result of bad karma from past lives, then so be it. It is their karma, why do most people have to interfere? Not that they kill or do something bad.. infact most of them tries hard to make a better living to support their parents. If we believe in religions, which religion teaches us to categorize people? Which teaches us to label them as wrongful reincarnations?
If I look from a different perspective, kathoeys have more diligence in making their lives a more positive one. They do not complain about menial things in life, they live each day to the best they could, and they give moral support to their sisters alike.
The only sad part is most do not end up with bright future. Their futures lack of hope. If only...
I respect them alot!
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