Oh, oh, watch out for the katoey!

They are inseparable from Thailand and a tourist attraction, the ladyboys. Another name is kathoey or katoey (in Thai กะเทย, pronounced “katoy”).

A katoey is born as a man, but wants to go through life as a woman. Shemale in English. Some ladyboys are female above and male below. Some opt for a total gender change and undergo surgery to have the male genitals removed and reconstructed into a vagina.

Transsexual

Thai hospitals and doctors have excellent knowledge and a good reputation in this field. A lot of transsexuals from other countries come to Thailand to be operated here. However, most katoey in Thailand are half male and half female. They undergo hormone treatment for breast enlargement, usually followed by silicone breast augmentation.

In the picture with a ladyboy

You will find the ladyboys everywhere in Thailand, they work in the supermarket, as a receptionist, chambermaid, tour guide and of course also in the Thai sex industry. Especially the tourists love it and enjoy it. The heavily made-up and overly feminine katoeys, usually decked out in sexy clothes and extremely high heels, love to be the center of attention. They like to have their picture taken with Wim and Bep from Harderwijk. A tip of 20 baht or so is appreciated.

Cabaret and transvestite shows

In Pattaya you can see the ladyboys in a number of bars on Walking Street. Alcazar and Tiffany's are two famous ladyboy shows in Pattaya that have a good schedule. A must for every tourist. Many ladyboys can be found in the bars of Patong Beach on Phuket. And to be fair, there are some very beautiful specimens that are prettier than many Thai women.

A large number of ladyboys are employed in Thai prostitution. They earn a nice living because they are quite popular. Both gay and straight men hire the ladyboys for some erotic services. The handsome specimens also ask for a decent fee for that.

Pushy

Thai ladyboys or katoey are more often than bargirls involved in things like theft and violence. After all, they are originally men, if they are angry or hurt they just hit it off. They also often go further in the search for money.

Katoey can be quite pushy and if you don't want to use their services. Especially later in the evening or night it is good to watch out for this. It's best to ignore and just move on. Don't make the mistake of laughing or insulting them, many a tourist has regretted it. Katoey are rarely alone and usually in groups with other katoey. Before you know it, you'll be fighting with the whole group.

Why are there so many ladyboys in Thailand?

This question is often asked and also comes up regularly on all kinds of forums. To be honest, I don't know either. In my search for an answer, I came across a number of explanations that seemed realistic to me. Among other things, it would have to do with the upbringing within Thai culture. Role patterns are less fixed here than with us in the west. A child does not necessarily have to behave like a boy or a girl. Parents don't encourage that either. When a katoey starts to behave and dress like a girl more often and the parents don't make a big deal of it, then the development to ladyboy is usually a fact. Another reason is simply a financial one. The choice to go through life as a katoey is also often a money-driven choice.

There are many katoeys in Thailand's public life, think of TV stars, singers and models. There are even katoey beauty contests. There are several katoey movies like 'Beautiful Boxer' that's the true story of a katoey who became champion Muay Thai.

A famous katoey is Parinya Charoenphol (Thai: ปริญญา เจริญผล), also called Toom. She is a Thai boxer, model and actress.

Katoeys seem to be an accepted part of Thai society. Part of this probably has to do with Buddhism and the teaching of tolerance towards others. However, in Asian countries with a strong Buddhist influence, such as Cambodia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Tibet, Laos and Japan, you see much less ladyboys.
The Thai belief that life should be fun (sanuk) may also play a role. When Thais see a katoey, they like it and smile. They also joke about it but not in an annoying way.

In my opinion, it is mainly the Thai society, which is so open and tolerant, which explains the large number of ladyboys.
The tolerance of the authorities has its limits, by the way. When a katoey volleyball team became national champion and two of the team were selected for the national team, the government intervened. They withheld the selection of the two katoey because they thought it was not good for Thailand's image.

I'd love to hear readers' comments on this point.

How do you recognize a ladyboy?

If you don't want to be surprised in your hotel room, it's good to pay attention to a few things if you don't trust it. But, if he/she does pull out his trunk, I give no guarantees.

• Men have an Adam's apple, which, by the way, can be camouflaged with a scarf. It can also be done surgically these days, so…
• Watch the hands and feet. If they are big then it is a Katoey.
• The ladyboys are taller than Thai women.
• A low or exaggerated voice is an indication.
• Large breasts, if they do opt for implants, they usually don't take the smallest ones.
• They behave in an exaggeratedly feminine way, which is evident from the walking and hip swaying.

Comic situations

In a lady bar where mainly women work, there is sometimes also a kathoey in between. It is always a laugh when a tourist is flirting heavily with one Ladyboy and notices nothing. Usually they already have some beer behind their teeth. Too bad you can't see his face once he's in his hotel room, finds out that his 'dream woman' turns out to be a male.

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