Kathoey

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Kathoey (also Katoey or Katoy , Thai กะเทย , pronunciation: [ kà.tʰɤːj ], RTGS : Kathoei) is a common category for transgender people in Thailand and Laos . The term (a loan word from Khmer into Thai , which originally referred to a hermaphrodite ) has no exact equivalent in other languages, so that all attempts to translate it fail due to different content of the respective other language terms.

Terminology

Kathoey is not a clearly defined, homogeneous category of gender or sexual identity. As a rule, it now refers to (biological) men with feminine characteristics or female gender identity who desire masculine men . The degree of feminine appearance or self-identification as a woman ranges from (sometimes only temporarily) showing female behavior, items of clothing or attributes to complete identification as a woman or a woman of the second kind ( Sao praphet song , สาว ประเภท สอง , [sǎːw pràʔpʰêːt sɔ̌ːŋ] ). While at one end of the spectrum the transition to identity as a homosexual man ( Gay , เกย์ , [keː] ) can be fluid, at the other end there is often the desire for gender reassignment measures such as hormone treatment, cosmetic operations on the face, breast or hips to make your own appearance more feminine and sometimes even after gender reassignment surgery . On the other hand, there is Kathoey who see no contradiction between her feminine identity and her body (including her penis). The pursuit of complete gender reassignment is not always due to one's own feelings, but in some cases also to the desire for a higher social status. Kathoey can therefore comprise a variety of different identities, which in some cases can also be changed at will. Sometimes the term third gender ( Phet thi sam , เพศ ที่ สาม , [pʰêːt tʰîː sǎːm] ) is used.

As English names, found mainly in the sex-industrial context, even Ladyman , ladyboy or shemale .

The reverse equivalent, that is, masculine women who desire feminine women , are called Tom ( ทอม , [tʰɔːm] ).

Social role and acceptance

Kathoey on stage at a cabaret show

Up until the middle of the 20th century, a three-pole gender division into male, female and kathoey ('hermaphrodite') was common in Thai society . In some Buddhist origin myths, too, three original genders are mentioned. Kathoey could describe all possible forms of deviation from the male or female norm, be it due to physical deviation or dysfunction ( intersexuality , potency disorders, sterility) or lived gender role behavior. It was not until the 1950s that a western-influenced, biomedical-influenced view of gender categories emerged. In the period that followed, a differentiation between intersex people, male and female homosexuals and Kathoey in the current sense began, which was established in the 1970s.

Compared to Western societies, where transgender and transsexuals have only been visible for a relatively short time and are demanding their rights, the Kathoeys are much more visible and accepted in Thailand. This is often attributed to Buddhist culture. According to the Karma doctrine , Kathoey have their otherness due to their actions in previous lives. They should not be accused of their behavior, because they are destined to live that way. They should be pityed rather than ridiculed.

Nevertheless, there is no legal recognition of Kathoeys in Thailand so far, i.e. no legal possibility of changing the gender once recorded in the identity papers (for the legal situation in Germany see Transsexual Act ). At the draft , Kathoey were retired until 2012 due to mental illness or psychosis . This could have serious consequences because (legal) men have to show the form about their military service status when starting work or admission to a university. Only since 2012 has it been possible to enter a gender deviation as a result of a court decision.

Kathoeys can often be found in the entertainment industry and especially in the red light district , also because it is usually extremely difficult to find another job. The suicide rate is significantly higher among Kathoeys than in the rest of the population.

One of the most famous Kathoeys in Thailand is Parinya Charoenphol (nickname "Nong Toom"), former Thai boxing master. She began gender role switching and hormone treatment while she was still active in the ring and ended her career in 1999 when she underwent gender reassignment surgery. Her life was told in the 2003 film Beautiful Boxer . The topic was also processed in the film Iron Ladies . The film is based on a true story when a Kathoey-dominated volleyball team won an important Thai tournament in the mid-1990s.

See also

documentary

  • The story of the Ning (2013), director and camera: Gert Chesi for the Museum of the Peoples . This film is about a boy who wanted to be a woman. The stations on the way to this goal were documented and commented on by Gert Chesi. The result was a sensitive documentation that also illuminates the cultural background and the peculiarities of Thai society.

Movie

  • Patong Girl (Germany, 2014), directed by Susanna Salonen

literature

  • Celine Grünhagen: Transgender in Thailand: The religious and socio-political evaluation of the Kathoeys. In: Edith Franke, Katja Triplett (Hrsg.): Religion and Politics in Contemporary Asia: Convergences and Divergences. Lit, Berlin / Münster 2013, ISBN 978-3-643-12279-7 , pp. 67–83 (English; excerpt in the Google book search).
  • Céline Grünhagen: Gender pluralism in Buddhism: On the scope of Western scientific constructions using the example of early Buddhist positions and change in Thailand. In: Studies in Oriental Religions. No. 66, Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 2013.
  • Peter A. Jackson (Ed.): Queer Bangkok: 21st Century Markets, Media, and Rights. Hong Kong University Press, Hong Kong 2011, ISBN 978-988-8083-04-6 .
  • Peter A. Jackson, Gerard Sullivan (Eds.): Lady Boys, Tom Boys, Rent Boys: Male and female homosexualities in contemporary Thailand. Haworth, Binghamton NY 2000, ISBN 0-7890-0656-1 .
  • Megan Sinnott: Toms and Dees: Transgender Identity and Female Same-Sex Relationships in Thailand. (English).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Grünhagen: Transgender in Thailand. 2013, p. 72.
  2. ^ Grünhagen: Transgender in Thailand. 2013, pp. 72–73.
  3. ^ Grünhagen: Transgender in Thailand. 2013, p. 73.
  4. ^ Grünhagen: Transgender in Thailand. 2013, p. 74.
  5. ^ Peter A. Jackson: Bangkok's Early Twenty-First-Century Queer Boom. In: Queer Bangkok. 2011, p. 37.
  6. ↑ a b c Serena Nanda: Gender Diversity. Crosscultural Variations. 2nd edition, Waveland Press, Long Grove IL 2014, p. 74.
  7. ↑ Peter A. Jackson: An explosion of Thai identities. Global queering and re-imagining queer theory. In: Culture, Society and Sexuality. A reader. 2nd edition, Abingdon / New York 2007, p. 346.
  8. ↑ Joyce Ng, Josh Kim: To serve or not to serve. Thailand's ladyboys and a lottery to the military life. In: contented , July 10, 2014.
  9. ↑ The story of the Ning on: Trailer vimeo.com

Web links

Commons : Kathoeys  - collection of images, videos and audio files