Thailand’s ladyboys: nearly human?
November 13th, 2008 | by
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In an article strangely entitled “Thailand’s lady-boys are in a class of their own, at last”, The Independent reports on the Bangkok Suan Dusit University where young male transgenders are allowed to wear make up and female uniform. It is this “at last” that is rather strange.
There is no question that Thai ladyboys deserve to be treated like any other human beings within the Thai society. In this regard Thailand is much more liberal than most western societies, though this liberalism is very much codified and not has accepting as most foreigners would like to think. But this “at last” suggests that the Suan Dusit university resolved the matter by segregating ladyboys into specific class with special needs and obligations.
I happened to live next to an annex of the Suan Dusit University near the Suan Lum Night Bazaar and to have had lunch with the students at a nearby food market (This annex is now closed). I was first surprised to see male students wearing male trousers as required by the University dress code but also heavy make up, long hair and overtly behaving like women. I got used to it and I guess this is part of the Katoey persona; as noted in the Independent article “If you want to be a woman, act like one”. They were often overdoing it but this was not the always the case as I witnessed during ladyboys’ competition.
As I am not convinced that separate toilets will facilitate the recognition of equal rights for Katoye, I am much more in favour of unisex toilet, I am not convinced that giving Katoye “a class of their own” will end discrimination against them. The evidence is in the comment of the vice-president for student affairs, Pacharee Suankaew: Katoey “can study everything on offer, except education. ‘We can’t have them teaching kindergarten children and they accept that’ and “In return, she says, the students must be ladylike.”
So long as Katoey stay in their well defined Katoey-box, it is all fine. Can this be called equal rights?
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One Response to “Thailand’s ladyboys: nearly human?”
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Mike (Who am I?) on Nov 15, 2008 | Reply
The whole concept of the third gender in Thailand seems confusing and not just to farang.
On the one hand ordinary Thais like my partner treat Katoeys with the respect that would be offered to any other person.
While the “Establishment” seem to favour a segregation policy albeit that they are “permitting” the students to have access to learning.
Imagine the uproar if one was segregated for being gay, I guess the teaching profession would lose a few teachers as well if Thai rules were applied.
Thailand needs to either fully embrace the third gender or make it clear that it is not acceptable. But of course as usual they continue to follow the line of least resistance.