Ladyboys by Susan Aldous & Pornchai Sereemongkonpol
Author:Susan Aldous & Pornchai Sereemongkonpol [Aldous, Susan & Sereemongkonpol, Pornchai]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Thailand, ladyboys, bakla, third gender, sex, lady boys, transgender, kathoeys
ISBN: 9781905379804
Publisher: Maverick Publishing Ltd
Published: 2011-06-22T23:00:00+00:00
When I first arrived in Bangkok in 1973, kathoeys weren’t very common. I lived with my uncle in a place called Sukhumvit Soi 71, that was unfortunately also home to a gang of rough degenerates. They gathered in the area to drink together and generally harass innocent passers-by. They teased me mercilessly whenever I walked past them. The term ‘ kathoey ’ would be hurled at me to the accompaniment of shrieks of laughter. They seemed somewhat confused by my identity, however, and I would often hear them arguing over whether I was a ‘ tom ’ or a kathoey. Tom is short for tomboy and is used in reference to manly lesbians, while their more feminine partner is referred to as a ‘ dee ’, as in ‘lady’. Nowadays, the more acceptable term for a tom is a sao lor , meaning a handsome woman. I tried to ignore the degenerates in the hope that they would eventually grow bored by my lack of response, but the harassment continued day in, day out. Kathoey is considered a derogatory term and having it regularly hurled at me in public caused me a great deal of embarrassment. I worried that my sexuality would eventually become the talk of my uncle’s neighbourhood and be a source of embarrassment to him. So I devised a charade to minimise the gossip. Given the fact that many people had already mistaken me for a tom since my arrival in Bangkok, I decided I may as well assume that identity. In Thai society, a woman wishing to pass for a man is considered understandable—admirable even. But a man playing the part of a woman is considered disgraceful.
I discussed my plan with my uncle and he readily agreed to it. From then on, I wore shirts with folded-up sleeves, trousers, sported a Twiggy-inspired hairstyle and rode a large motorcycle, all in an effort to pass for a tom . It clearly worked because men stopped harassing me and, ironically, the challenge of seducing a lesbian proved too much for many men to resist and I was being hit on more than ever before.
It was around this time that my family’s once-sound finances began to rapidly deteriorate. I resolved to help them out in any way I could so I asked my teachers at Nitipon Vocational College, where I was studying hotel management, to let me know if they knew of a vacancy in any hotel. Six months later I found work as a bellboy in the Peninsula Hotel in Surawong. I worked from 6.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. and earned a flat rate of 200 baht a month, but with tips I could take home as much as 1,000 baht, which was quite a large sum of money back then. After work, I made my way to college and spent from 5.00 p.m. to 7.00 p.m. studying. I was a very diligent worker and paid great attention to detail—qualities I owe to my Chinese upbringing.
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