They refer to us as Ladyboys in Thailand

[Lovely Rita]

I just returned from a two week trip to Thailand. In Thailand crossdressers and the transgender community in general are referred to as Ladyboys.

You will be happy to know that they are not looked down upon in the slightest by their culture. Prostitution does not carry the stigma that it does here either. The disturbing part though, is that many of them are raised from childhood to be ladyboys inorder to engage in prostitution.

My friends and contacts there were involved in working to help prostitutes get off the streets, but that is a whole other story.

On a brighter note, I did go to a Ladyboy Cabarret and the girls there were simply gorgeous. They were so pretty and very entertaining with their dances and costume changes.

[Kieron Andrew]

Ladyboys or kathoey's are that of a different end of the spectrum, as you say alot are raised to go into prostitution but alot are not too .....they are very welcoming of trans people on every part of the spectrum , Ladyboys mostly take hormones to feminize their features and also have FFS but many do not go for GRS or take on a female name alot of the time either, hense the name ladyboys which of course is different to TS , the Thai's are a respectful race of all people

[My Lady Marsea]

Sounds like this country could learn a little from them. A neat trip I will put on my "to do " list.

[Lovely Rita]

Ladyboys or kathoey's are that of a different end of the spectrum, as you say alot are raised to go into prostitution but alot are not too .....they are very welcoming of trans people on every part of the spectrum , Ladyboys mostly take hormones to feminize their features and also have FFS but many do not go for GRS or take on a female name alot of the time either, hense the name ladyboys which of course is different to TS , the Thai's are a respectful race of all people

I agree they are wonderful people. Thailand means the land of smiles and they were so very very hospitable. Beautiful people indeed.

Great place to visit especially their islands.

[TxKimberly]

Wow - how exciting is that - Thailand!
Not only an exciting trip, but made for a good purpose. That's like icing on the cake.
Welcome back Rita and thanks for trying to help people. :-)

[Jamie001]

I like to be referred to as a Jane-Girl or a Nancy-Boy. Both of these are the opposite of a Tom-Boy and mean a boy that is very girlie and likes to do girl things.

[angelfire]

Never heard of a "Jane-Girl" before. Nancy-boy does sound a but condescending to me, but that is just my opinion.

And Thailand does sound like a very cool place for us to visit. Plus, the food is great. Glad you had a good trip!

[Jamie001]

Jane-Girl is a common term that has been tossed around on the internet and on websites such as skirtcafe.org and chris's atrium. I am fine with either Jane-Girl or Nancy Boy since they both imply a feminine male and that is what I am.

Never heard of a "Jane-Girl" before. Nancy-boy does sound a but condescending to me, but that is just my opinion.

And Thailand does sound like a very cool place for us to visit. Plus, the food is great. Glad you had a good trip!

[Satrana]

It is indeed great to visit a country like Thailand and see so many openly TG walking about the streets. They don't get stared at (except by tourists!), don't get verbal abuse and are taken seriously without derision. Many of these ladyboys even attend school with feminine features and behavior without problems. Still it is not a TG paradise because being TG limits what they can do in life, they are stereo-graphed into specific roles like prostitution or the fashion/beauty trades. Commercial businesses will not usually hire them.

Thai's social tolerance for differences is an example for all to follow. Many of arguments used here against crossdressing would be laughed at in Thailand.

[noname]

It is indeed great to visit a country like Thailand and see so many openly TG walking about the streets. They don't get stared at (except by tourists!), don't get verbal abuse and are taken seriously without derision. Many of these ladyboys even attend school with feminine features and behavior without problems. Still it is not a TG paradise because being TG limits what they can do in life, they are stereo-graphed into specific roles like prostitution or the fashion/beauty trades. Commercial businesses will not usually hire them.

Thai's social tolerance for differences is an example for all to follow. Many of arguments used here against crossdressing would be laughed at in Thailand.

But the question is, could you dress girly off the job without fear? Would spouses be more accepting?

[Satrana]

But the question is, could you dress girly off the job without fear? Would spouses be more accepting?

You could certainly crossdress in public without fear. So if you want to combine an exotic holiday with crossdressing Thailand is the place to go. You can CD 24/7 without ever encountering any problems.

Now are Thai SOs more accepting? Almost certainly yes because the social environment does not invite hostility towards crossdressing. Their faith concentrates on acceptance and being at peace with yourself, balancing out yin and yang. Crossdressing makes sense to them as a personal struggle to find balance.

However ladyboys in Thailand differ from Western CDs in that there is no recognition that gender and sexual identities are separate and distinct. Thus it appears ladyboys always seek male partners not women.

[Kieron Andrew]

But the question is, could you dress girly off the job without fear? Would spouses be more accepting?

Yes to both questions, kathoey are that from a young age.....

[Satrana]

I've known more than one woman who went to Thailand for surgery that reported some of the locals being friendly, but politely condescending to a certain degree (though I suppose that might have simply been because of where they were from).

Strange I have been to Thailand twice and I did take the opportunity to CD (only part of the time) and I never noticed any condescending attitude. I was always treated with the greatest respect and politeness. No smirks, no sideways glances. Of course I don't speak Thai so maybe they were speaking behind my back. The only people smirking were foreign tourists.

The important difference between places like Thailand and the West is that their society recognizes there is a third sex. It is a natural thought: male, female and in-between. This means TGs are never considered defective, abnormal, nothing went wrong in the womb, they are not perverts, not weirdos etc. They are just what they are - the third sex as natural as male and female. That is a huge improvement over our society as it means there is no need to ever hide in the closet, you can be free to express yourself from childhood onwards. Most parents would not consider trying to suppress your behavior.

I saw one TV documentary about a successful MTF who is a school teacher as well as a famous personality who appears regularly on TV. She is a well loved figure in the country and is respected for her wisdom. When she is teaching to school children, nobody thinks she will corrupt the children, parents don't withdraw their children from her classes.

Then of course there is the famous kick boxing champion who announced she was a TS and began transitioning whilst still competing in the ring. She won the right to break with the sport's tradition and wore a sports bra to cover her breasts. She remains highly respected as a boxing champion, it does not matter she is now a woman. Now can you imagine that happening in the West?

Like all minorities, there will always be a struggle to get equal representation and equality and to avoid stereotyping. There are always intolerant people even in places like Thailand but at least there TGs can openly be who they are without hiding and lying all their lives and pretending to be someone they are not.

[Kieron Andrew]

I saw one TV documentary about a successful FTM who is a school teacher as well as a famous personality who appears regularly on TV. She is a well loved figure in the country and is respected for her wisdom. When she is teaching to school children, nobody thinks she will corrupt the children, parents don't withdraw their children from her classes.

I do hope you mean 'he' not 'she'

[Kate Simmons]

All things considered, I think we could learn a lot from the Thai culture, especially in terms of tolerance.

[Satrana]

I do hope you mean 'he' not 'she'

Apologies I meant MTF, I have corrected the original post

[Kieron Andrew]

Apologies I meant MTF, I have corrected the original post

lol, stupid abbreviations

[Satrana]

lol, stupid abbreviations

Nope just me being stupid.

Saying that I have never heard or saw anything about FTM in Thailand. I stayed in Bangkok and Phuket and saw many, many ladyboys all over the place but did not see any FTM. Maybe they prefer to blend in and keep a low profile. Ladyboys tend to be exhibitionists and chase after male tourists. One even approached me when I was crossdressed. I did not know how to react to that, after all is that not an insult to my passing skills, I just got very embarrassed and quickly walked away.

[kristiCD]

I have often thought of stopping in Bangkok on my Asia trips. Is it safe to travel alone and go out dressed as a girl?

[Lovely Rita]

It is indeed great to visit a country like Thailand and see so many openly TG walking about the streets. They don't get stared at (except by tourists!), don't get verbal abuse and are taken seriously without derision. Many of these ladyboys even attend school with feminine features and behavior without problems. Still it is not a TG paradise because being TG limits what they can do in life, they are stereo-graphed into specific roles like prostitution or the fashion/beauty trades. Commercial businesses will not usually hire them.

Thai's social tolerance for differences is an example for all to follow. Many of arguments used here against crossdressing would be laughed at in Thailand.

Hey Satrana,

I did get to see Ladyboys working in restautrants and dress shops I was shopping in. I was very happy to see that.

[Lovely Rita]

I also got to see Ladyboys in girl school uniforms with genetic girls and it was no big deal. They looked lovely in their sailor blouses and short skirts. Just as beautiful as the genetics. They were in their teens, I think.
No one even blinked. They were able to move about freely and unhindered.

I was very happy about that.

[carie]

most ladyboy or anything u called them usually started at a very young age. i hv ts/ladyboy friend at chiangmai and owh boy.. she is like 100% look like a GG. maybe a bit overdone the make-up tho ..

and yes, my place can be consider near thailand which i sometimes go and i own a vehicle that is thai registered.

love their shopping mall ! lingerie are consider cheap then my country ..

[Satrana]

I also got to see Ladyboys in girl school uniforms with genetic girls and it was no big deal. They looked lovely in their sailor blouses and short skirts. Just as beautiful as the genetics. They were in their teens, I think.
No one even blinked. They were able to move about freely and unhindered.

I was very happy about that.

Yeah that is an good point to make, that MTFs in Thailand and other Asian countries are treated like real girls and are usually found walking hand in hand with a sister, girl friend or a group of GGs. There is no hint of rejection among GGs. That makes a big difference, there is no need for MTFs to be loners or to gang together as a separate support group which would make them stand out. They are integrated into society although they do remain stereotyped as a minority.

[carie]

which asian countries ?

[Lovely Rita]

All kidding aside, it would be nice to live in Thailand a few months of the year and just enjoy the total freedom there.