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| About
| Thailand's "Ladyboys" are famous (or infamous?) around the world. But there's a lot more to the 'Women of the Second Category', or Katoey, as they are locally known, than meets the eye! The term Katoey has a wide meaning; anything from the guy who 'drags up' for fun once in a while, right through to transexuals who have had a complete sex change operation - and everything in between. Katoeys are often accepted as part of Thai society, and one famous Katoey even teaches children on TV and in high schools, while another is a respected model and beauty advisor. It seems like every village, and most stores, have at least one katoey, although some 'macho' type men can throw insults occasionally. Many of the staff at gay bars around the country will don their drag at the drop of a wig, to celebrate anything from a birthday to Gay Pride.
You could say that Katoeys come in selections!
1) The guys who 'drag up' for fun at a party.
2) The guys who wears 'drag' more often than not.
3) The guys who take hormones to grow breasts.
4). The guys preparing for the big cut... and
5) The guys who are now girls!
It can be difficult to know who are what sometimes, as the Thai male physique lends itself to 'drag' very well.
And don't be fooled into thinking every guy in 'drag' is always a queen (bottom) by definition, or you could be in for a big surprise!
| Katoey Shows
| Thailand's katoey cabaret shows are justifibly famous too. Staged in huge, modern theatres, they rival anything seen in Las Vegas for their style, costumes and fun. The biggest katoey shows are in Pattaya, south of Bangkok, where the famous Tiffiny and Alcazar shows pull in hords of visitors every day to see the lavish productions staged by hundreds of young men in various stages of 'katoeyness', from stunning male dancers to transexual beauties. Many of Pattaya's gay bars also regularly feature katoey shows, include the Star Treff show in Jomtien, and Boyz Boyz Boyz in South Pattaya. In Bangkok, professional katoey shows can be seen at the Mambo Cabaret, the Rachada Cabaret, and the Calypso Cabaret. The two gay discos, DJ Station and Freeman Dance Arena, have shows at the weekends, while the bars in Ramkhamhaeng Road also have regular Katoey competitions. There are a few commercial and very dubious katoey bars in Patpong and Soi Nana. Phuket has a fewf katoey shows, the glitzy Simon in Patong, and My Way, and Tangmo in Patong's Paradise Complex. There's also the Maya Cafe (more of a beer bar) in Rawai with many ladyboy hosts, and occasional shows.
| Warning
| | A WORD OF WARNING: The beach promenade at Pattaya is notorious for the katoeys who prey on tourists during the night. These 'ladies' rob, cheat, and are as hard as nails. Frequent sweeps by the police result in 100 baht fines, and they are quickly back on the street. Stay away from them!! | Beautiful Boxer
| One of the most unusual ladyboy stories of all time has to be that of Parinya Kiatbusaba, better known by her nickname of Nong Toom.
Hailing from the province of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, as a teenager he entered the world of Muay Thai (Thai boxing), and rapidly fought his way to the top.
He would enter the ring in full make up, and sometimes a wig, and intimidate and often fool his opponents by blowing kisses and generally acting like a very effeminate boy.
However, he generally managed to batter his opponents mercilessly and hardly lost a fight, until the latter part of his career when psycological problems became too much. He made it plain that one of the reasons he had entered the sport was to pay for a sex change operation, and another reason was to help his family financially.
Those who had seen the well built male boxer in the ring may have thought it a bit strange, but on December 5, 1999, at the age of 19, he underwent sex change surgery in Bangkok, and after recovery reappeared as a statuesque and very pretty female.
Her life changed at this point in many ways, as she was now forbidden to take part in mainstream Muay Thai fights, and took up a career in entertainment. In the last couple of years she has fallen out of the spotlight.
A film "Beautiful Boxer" has been made about her life and is available here.
| IRON LADIES (Satree Lek)
| A team of katoey volleyball players made headlines in Thailand when they started a meteoric rise through the national championships. They fought against official objections, predudice and scorn, before racing to the top of the national league.
Two films have been made about their exploits and can be purchased here.
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