Thailand is the home of wonderful scenery, wildlife, and Buddhist temples. People in Thailand have a very laidback approach to life. They welcome anyone into their society with open arms. They are compassionate to people of all religions and invite others to join in on their spiritual gatherings. Even though they are religious, most still welcome the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and transgender community. “Thailand probably boasts one of the highest incidences of transgender worldwide” (Winter, 2010). Thailand is known for their growing transgender population because they accept them for who they are.
In Thailand they have a well-respected community of transgender men. The term they use for these people is Kathoey or Katoey. This term Kathoey has become popular in South East Asia and translates to lady boy in English. Kathoey originally meant gays and effeminate males, but is more often used for male-to-female transgender (Winter, 2010). Males of this orientation dress as women and get surgeries such as breast implants, Adam’s apple reductions, and hormones. Other males will represent more of a gay male rather than a transgender by dressing as a man but wearing makeup and being called by feminine pronouns. Many of the males choose to make this change at a young age in Thailand.
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They can be seen going about their daily lives in many urban areas, such as Bangkok. They typically work in feminine occupations, such as in shops, beauty salons, restaurants, and boutiques. Other jobs Kathoeys might have would be in the entertainment industry and tourist centers, in cabarets and as sex workers. These Kathoeys tend to have high rates of HIV. Other than these jobs there are many models, singers, and movie stars that are Kathoeys in Thailand also. There is usually at least one Kathoey in every school and village so it’s a common occurrence to see them around.
The medicalization of transgender tendencies, under what was Gender Identity Disorder, was demoralizing to all transgender people. This resulted in a form of structured and institutionalized inequality that made an entire group of people internalize their problems, making them question not only their own identity, but also their sanity. Therefore, the removal of this disorder from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in 2013 and the newest editions was important in that it shows society’s recognition and acceptance of the transgender
The knowledge of the dress code makes transgender people to wear boy or girl clothes. Parents in some cases may allow a certain behavior from their kids as a prize for achievement of high grades. The use of the knowledge may come with many rewards. In the article Why transgender teen Jazz Jennings is everywhere
Seidman, Steven, Nancy Fischer , and Chet Meeks. "Transgendering." New Sexuality Studies. North Carolina: Routledge, 2011. . Print.
For example, gender differences in Brazil are based on differences of people’s sexuality rather than their biological sex. There is a sexual and gender division between the transgendered prostitutes and their clients. It is considered
Across the globe, gender systems vary in ways that often exclude individuals who don’t identify within their realms. From the binary structure of the West, to the ternary system of India, there are many ways in which societies conceptualize gender. Gender systems are generally considered inherent to humanity, and are seldom questioned or altered. This has led to the marginalization and discrimination of individuals who diverge from the implemented structure.
Transgender is an umbrella term, meaning an individual’s gender-identity does not align with their assigned sex at birth. Although transgender is a protected class in eighteen states, these individuals still face discrimination within the country and around the world (“Non-Discrimination Laws”). Transgender is not a lifestyle, no one chooses to live their life constantly being discriminated against. Transgender issues should be more educated on and their lives should be more protected. The most common issue transgender individuals face every day is bathroom use.
Too many times, parents of transgender people force their children to live somewhere other than their homes, such as with other family members or with friends. While they likely are better off without a discriminative family around, the sense of being disowned or potentially unloved is often too much for some to handle. The word transgender describes those who identify differently than their assigned birth genders. However, an umbrella term, or a word that covers more than one specific topic, such as transgender, does not only describe people who identify as the opposite sex; it also describes people who identify with both male and female genders, people who identify as genderless, or people who fluctuate between two or more genders.
Imagine going through life believing that you were born into the wrong body. This is how a transgender feels as they go through life. A transgender is a person who whose self-identity does not conform unambiguously to male or female sex. This topic is very controversial due to many arguments about the differences between the male and female physique. The natural biological differences between males and a females play a huge role in this controversy.
As expressed by Sam Winter, the term "Transsexual" is rarely used in Thailand. Instead, "Kathoey" is a common term. It was originally used to delineate hermaphrodites (human being who have both sexes- male and female), but nowadays it is mainly used to describe the transgender male (6). I will overtake this denomination for my essay. Looking up the word "kathoey" in a Thai language dictionary, we get the following definition: "Homosexuals or the perverted (wiparit thang phet) are not Kathoey. The characteristic of a kathoey is some who cross-dresses (lakka-phet), a male who likes to act and dress like a woman and has a mind like a woman" (8).
"Pakistan allows transsexuals to have own gender category." Host Aleem Maqbool. BBC News. BBC Online. 26 Apr. 2011. Web. 29 Apr. 2011.
Namaste’s (2000) chapter ‘Gender Bashing’ in Invisible Lives: The Erasure of Transsexual and Transgendered People discusses the issue of safety for transgender individuals thoroughly. Individuals who are unable to pass during their transition are at risk of bashing because of their non-conforming appearance (Namaste 2000: 136).The author warns that individuals who live outside society’s rigid categorization of male and female are at risk of assault (Namaste 2000: 136). Transgender men are at risk when their gender is not easily identifiable by others within society which makes passing a necessity in order to avoid risk of discovery (Namaste 2000: 144). This instills a driving motivator for transgender men to define their masculinity within the gender binary that society has defined for them and pass within
Clinically speaking, a person who was assigned female at birth but identifies and lives as a man is referred to as a transsexual man, or transman, or female-to-male (FTM); a male-to-female (MTF) person is a transsexual woman or transwoman (Glicksman). Some people drop the transgender label after they have transitioned to their new gender. However, they want to be referred to only as a man or a woman. But what if our gender identity, our sense of being a boy or being a girl, does not match our physical body? From a very early age we will start to feel increasingly uncomfortable. For some this is a mild discomfort, for others it is so traumatic they would rather die than continue to live in the wrong body. Unfortunately as transsexual people are a small minority of the population the condition has been labeled by Psychiatrists as "Gender Identity Disorder". With the transgendered, the disordered assumption is that the
Statistically, 0.3-0.5% of individuals in the United States (approx. 700,000 people) identify themselves as transgender and global estimates provide similar percentages (Gates, 2011). Studies conducted regarding transgender individuals show that this class of people suffer from unusually high physical, verbal, and sexual abuse, as well as discrimination in housing and employment (Patel, 2013). Patel (20...
It’s upsetting to know that there are so many trans-phobic people out there who believe gender is natural and bash people of trans simply because they do not conform to society’s gender expectations. It’s important to realize that transgender people are no different from you and I they are humans just like the rest of society. It is also interesting to note a lot of people get uptight and uncomfortable when the topic of transgender comes up .Our society is so ignorant when it comes to the topic of sexuality and
The topic that I will be discussing is Thai culture. In this, it will include areas that influence this culture. First, I will give you the geographical information of the country of Thailand. The second area that I will look at will be language. Language is an extremely important part of culture and some say that one cannot be found without the other. After that I will inform you about customs, traditions and taboos in Thai culture. This is a very important part of culture and is what shows the differences between cultures. Then I briefly tell you about the government and some national symbols, such as the flag, the symbol, colors, anthem, dress, and national day. Next, I will explain about religion in Thailand. In most cultures there is religion, but in Thailand it is interwoven into its whole culture and it is hard to separate the two. One other thing that I will include in this paper is a link to a page with pictures from my trip to Thailand.