Ladyboy

The difference in general between the West and Thailandis that the typical transvestite is generally older and no where near asconvincing as their Thai counterpart.

Typically a Thai Lady Boy is under 30 oftenearly 20’s and many far below, coming back to appearance many of these guys crave what they consider to be the far more perfect appearance of a woman over a man. Bangkok surgeons have a reputation of being the best in the world at changing a willingman into a woman; presumably, this is because they get so much practice.

Oneside effect of this easy one stop shopping surgery is there is little or no counselingfor potential Lady Boys. If you have the cash you can get the hormones, grow yourhair and get the surgery, this in turn leads to some transsexuals regrettingtheir decision and wishing to change back, which is not possible, this andother factors result in a very high level of suicides amongst Kathoey’s.

Ladyboy

Most Ladyboys in the entertainment areas of Thailand’s resorts andcity’s can be viewed by straight or gay people as Thailand’s clowns or court jesters,they love to be outrageous and entertain anyone who will look their way.

Pattaya has been known primarily as a for adult entertainment and the Kathoeyor Katoy (also known in Thai as the third gender); Pattaya is well known as aplace that is home to large numbers of ladyboys.

Many westerners believe that the adultentertainment industry in Thailand is there because of tourism and because of the presence of “Farangs”(“Farang”is a term for Western foreigners in Thai).

But in fact it wasvery well established before the arrival of American GI’s in the 60’s who camefor a little “Rest and Relaxation” away from the Vietnam War. Thai culture has its origin primarily inthe hedonistic philosophy of life of most Thai men. This philosophy has agreedin principle followed to this day by many Thai men cling to the right to asecondary wife.

There are places all over Thailand that in noway resemble the Westernized fleshpots of Pattaya and Soi Cowboy Bangkok it istypically unpleasant the greasy small-town establishment, in which girls relaxthe “stressed” men Like their female counterparts there are also numerous working “Ladyboys,” which in Thai is “Kathoey” or “Katoy” spreadacross Thailandin general and Pattaya in particular.

Kathoey’s are recognized in Thailandfor their outlandish and over the top female behavior. There is generally no stigma to being gay,transvestite, transsexual, bi-sexual in Thailand indeed it is well establishedas part of the Buddhist religion which accepted homosexual relationships asequal to ‘straight’ relationships a long time before it became politicallycorrect in the West.

Without question the number of “LadyBoys” in Thailand outnumberanywhere else on the planet and Pattaya more than any other city inthe world. In addition to possible genetic causes the Thai philosophy of  well groomed personalappearance certainly plays a very important role from early childhood onwards.

To Thais the importance of personal appearance is essential; you will never seea Thai girl pass a mirror without pausing to check her already perfectlystraight hair, the same is true of ladyboys.

Kathoey’s are a part of everyday life inThailand, at least for those westerners who open their eyes and look around, they work in every conceivable business, it is considered cool or trendy tohave a Lady Boy working in your restaurant.

Ladyboys are a big part of the“entertainment” industry particularly in Pattaya, this in turn leads to somedifficulties, there are simply too many of “them”.

The number of Lady Boyslooking to “entertain” in any one evening has now way outstripped demand fortheir services, which has led in turn to an upsurge in crimes committed by these seemingly other wise feminine people.

Ladyboys are still the countries clowns, and mix into every part of society and are always looking for a laugh usually at their own expense. As one Kathoey once said to me inperfect English “you think you’ve got problems, I think I’m a lesbian!”