That’s a Foreign Ladyboy?!

Christine Burr

As I turned and walked away, the receptionist turned to her colleague. “That’s a foreign Ladyboy,” I heard her say. “I can hardly believe it. She looks just like a… like a, well, a normal woman.”

I smiled to myself as I pulled my wheelie suitcase behind me, heading for the lifts and my hotel room. I could feel the stares of the two staff behind me, and smiled again, letting out an involuntary “Hmmph!” I’m sure they don’t realize that I can speak Thai, I thought. I know exactly what they’re saying about me!

To be honest I was quite flattered at being called a Ladyboy. Although it may have originated as a borderline not-so-nice term, it has gradually crept into almost everyday use in the Thai language. The story being that the term “Ladyboy” originated some years ago so as local Thais could explain to foreign tourists that the beautiful cabaret performers they were watching were not genetic females at all. But they were boys; boys who looked like and wanted to be seen as ladies; hence the term Ladyboy was born. 

The other, more common local, word for male to female Transgender women in Thailand is Katoey, but this carries a slightly derogatory connotation. Earlier perceptions of many locals were that men who dressed as, or longed to be women, were simply gay. So Katoey was used to embrace drag performers and gay-queens and everyone else not clearly binary. Katoey is still in use but, with the evolution of more names and more labels for people in the Trans and gay communities, there are many more options available for describing sub-sets under the LGBT banner.

Ladyboy has, therefore, become an all-embracing term for Transgender women. Whether pre-op, part-op or post-op they/we are all Transgender women. 

Interestingly, Thailand doesn’t really have the term crossdresser(s) per se, at least not visible ones: no established crossdressing groups or societies. However, I am reasonably sure that there are men here who like to dress part-time as women for their own reasons, just as men do in the West. It’s just not something I’ve ever come across or heard being talked about here. You are either seen as a Ladyboy (ie wanting to be a woman) or gay. In fact, if you are a crossdresser, the only people you might keep this from are your family as there is no need to hide away in Thailand. 

Indeed, as recently as last week in a brand-chain restaurant I saw the most outrageously dressed and made up “man” (I have to say man for descriptive purposes, not in judgement). Facially and physically the person looked like a man. But the white high heels, flowery patterned top and flowing cream skirt, plus the deep baritone voice, suggested otherwise. The person was with three clearly genetic women enjoying lunch. And no one else in the restaurant turned a hair! No one stared or commented.

In short, no-one really cares what you look like or wear here in Thailand. They may comment behind your back, but there is no chance of confrontation or intimidation as, say, in the US. Trans women can come and go as we/they please.

And so back to where we started. How, you may ask, did the receptionist know I am a Transgender woman (Ladyboy)? What gave me away?

Well, it’s quite simple really. I have not got around to changing my driving license and used this to check at the resort hotel where I was staying. The photograph of him still stares out from it… so maybe I’ll have it changed for next time! Although, having said this, a contradiction of Thailand’s famous tolerance for Trans people is its reluctance to allow birth gender markers to be changed. Therefore, even those stunningly beautiful post-op Ladyboys still carry an “M” for male on their Thai IDs and passports.

Bizarre really!

Christine is the author of Oops!: Adventures & Minor Mishaps of a T-Girl About Town under the pen name Kathy Hamilton. It’s available through Amazon.

Tags: crossdressing, featured, Ladyboy, Thailand

Category: Out & About