Parinya Charoenphol

Parinya Charoenphol (2006)

Parinya Charoenphol ( Thai ปริญญา เจริญผล , RTGS : Charoenphon, pronunciation: [pàʔrinjaː t͡ɕàʔrɤːnpʰǒn] , nickname Nong Toom , น้อง ตุ้ม , Nong Tum, after her boxing stable, formerly Parinya Kiatbusaba , ปริญญา เกียรติ บุษบา , Kiatbutsaba; born June 9, 1981 in the province of Kiatbutsaba; Chiang Mai , Thailand) is a former Muay Thai fighter.

Parinya was born with male sexual characteristics and raised as a boy. As a child, however, she already felt like a girl. This phenomenon is called Kathoey in Thailand . Although she was not really interested in martial arts, she recognized her special aptitude for muay thai, trained to defend herself against boys who harassed her, and took part in competitions in order to use the prize money to finance the gender reassignment measures she wanted .

Over the course of her career, she has increasingly shown herself as a woman, appearing with longer hair, makeup and feminine clothing, and refusing to undress while being weighed before the fight. The muay thai sport in Thailand is strongly associated with masculinity, women were not allowed to practice it on a professional level. Since Parinya was legally a man, she was allowed to continue to compete. Parinya therefore attracted a lot of media attention, also outside of Thailand. In 1998 she won the championship of the renowned Lumpini Stadium.

After the sex reassignment surgery in 1999, she gave up her martial arts career in 2000. In 2003, her life was portrayed in the internationally acclaimed film Beautiful Boxer by director Ekachai Uekrongtham . In 2004 she opened a boxing school where she trains both boys and girls. In 2006 she returned to the boxing ring again. Since then she has worked as a model, entertainer and PR representative for the Fairtex sports and wellness center .

Web links

Parinya Kiatbusaba in the Internet Movie Database (English)

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c Stéphane Rennesson: Competing Cultures of Masculinity. When Thai Transgender Bodies Go Through Muay Thai. In: Queer Bangkok. 21st Century Markets, Media, and Rights. Hong Kong University Press, Hong Kong 2011, pp. 44-45.
↑ ^a ^b David Jiménez: Children of the monsoons. Everyday life in Asia apart from the economic boom. Campus Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2009, pp. 61–62.
↑ ^a ^b LeeRay M. Costa, Andrew J. Matzner: Male Bodies, Women's Souls. Personal Narratives of Thailand's Transgendered Youth. Haworth Press, Binghamton NY 2007, pp. 27-28.

personal data
SURNAME	Parinya Charoenphol
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Parinya Charoenphon; Nong Toom (nickname); Nong Tum (nickname); Parinya Kiatbusaba; Parinya Kiatbutsaba
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Thai muay thai fighter
DATE OF BIRTH	June 9, 1981
PLACE OF BIRTH	Chiang Mai Province , Thailand

[Rennesson-1] Stéphane Rennesson: Competing Cultures of Masculinity. When Thai Transgender Bodies Go Through Muay Thai. In: Queer Bangkok. 21st Century Markets, Media, and Rights. Hong Kong University Press, Hong Kong 2011, pp. 44-45.

[jimenez-2] David Jiménez: Children of the monsoons. Everyday life in Asia apart from the economic boom. Campus Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2009, pp. 61–62.

[CostaMatzner-3] LeeRay M. Costa, Andrew J. Matzner: Male Bodies, Women's Souls. Personal Narratives of Thailand's Transgendered Youth. Haworth Press, Binghamton NY 2007, pp. 27-28.