Kathoey

Robert Wilson

Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the large number of Transsexuals found in Thailand.

Central Idea: There is a growning number of transsexuals living in Thailand and the Thai are comfortable with it, which is not the norm in the west, these transsexuals play a part in many aspects of Thailand's culture and society

Method of Organization: Topical

I. Introduction

A. A little girl, Miss Moon, was once given a crushed paper flower by a passing man of magic. He told her that if she took care of it it would grow into a beautiful tree of blossoms. She planted it and took care of it for years, ignoring the villagers who laughed at her telling her that her flower was just made of paper. And yet nothing happened. Some years later she woke up to find that the flower had grown into the most beautiful tree imaginable: full of sweet blossom. Everyone from miles around came to admire it. But some villagers still laughed, saying that it was just a paper tree, and wasn’t real at all. The young girl smiled, answering that she knew it was not real, but she didn’t care, for her tree was the most beautiful tree that she had ever seen. (Old Thai folk story) (Martin)

B. Though the tree was not as it seemed, the Thai still admired it for what it was. The Thai also have an aspect of their culture that is definitely not what it seems.

C. Halfway around the world, Thailand is home to quite a bit of the world's population of Transexuals, hermaphrodites, and transvestites, over 3 million of them. (Winter)

D. Over there, it is quite normal to see a few here and there, as opposed to us in the west, where seeing one is similar to seeing bigfoot.

E. I am about to take you into the world of Thailand's transexuals, where I shall inform you about transexuals and transvestites in Thai society, how they are viewed in society, how they function in society, and the role they play in Thailand's culture.

II . The Kathoey

A. In Thai culture, western social norms dealing with sex are not clearly distinguished, heterosexual and homosexual actions all have one word, phet. (Nanda 72)

a. THE THAI BELIEVE, SEXUAL IDENTITY IS CREATED BY ONE’S SOCIAL SURROUNDINGS, AND IS CLEARLY UP FOR NEGOTIATION, UNLIKE OUR WESTERN BINARY SEXUAL CULTURE.

B. THUS, INTRODUCES THE KATHOEY, THE THIRD SEX OF THIALAND.

a. KATHOEY HAD AN ORIGINAL BIOLOGICAL CONNOTATION AS A BEING WITH

INDETERMINATE SEX OR A HERMAPHRODITE, ALTHOUGH THE MEANING HAS BEEN

EXPANDED TO REFER TO TRANSVESTITES, OR TRANSSEXUALS. (ESTERIK 213)

C. THE THAI VIEWS ON THIS DIFFERENT “SEX” ARE SURPRISINGLY ACCEPTING, COMPARED TO OUR CUT AND DRY VIEWS ON SEXUALITY IN THE WEST.

a. THE THAI BELIEVE THAT BEING A KATHOEY IS PERFECTLY NORMAL, BECAUSE IT IS THE PERSON'S KARMA TO BE SO. AND IN SAYING THAT, THAI BELIEF IS TO NOT RIDICULE THOSE WHO ARE DIFFERENT BECAUSE OF KARMA. AS WELL AS THAT, THE BUDDHIST BELIEF OF KARMA ALLUDES TO BEING A TRANSGENDER IS FORCED UPON THEM, NOT A CHOICE.

(BECAUSE THEY ARE SOCIALLY ACCEPTED IN SOCIETY, THIS IS ANOTHER ASPECT TO EXPLORE IN THE KATHOEY'S EXISTENCE)

III. THE KATHOEY IN SOCIETY

A. THE KATHOEY ARE SIMPLY REGULAR PEOPLE IN SOCIETY, THEY WORK, THEY ARE SEEN IN PUBLIC JUST ANOTHER PART OF SOCIETY.

A. ACCORDING TO SAM WINTER, 40% PERCENT OF KATHOEY FEEL AS THOUGH THEY WERE ACCEPTED OR ENCOURAGED BY SOCIETY, 27% FELT THAT THEY WERE SIMPLY TOLERATED, AND ONLY 15% BELIEVED THAT THEY WERE REJECTED.

B. THE FAMILY ASPECT OF THAI LIFE HAS A STRONG INFLUENCE OF THESE INDIVIDUALS MAKING THEIR CHOICE OF BECOMING A KATHOEY. 40% OF FATHERS WERE ACCEPTING, EVEN ENCOURAGING OF THEIR SON'S CHOICE, 66% OF MOTHERS FELT THE SAME WAY, IN THE WESTERN WORLD, THERE IS NO PARALLEL.

B. HOWEVER, THERE IS ALSO A STIGMA THAT GOES ALONG WITH BEING A KATHOEY. ACCORDING TO SERENA NANDA, AUTHOR OF GENDER DIVERSITY: CROSSCULTURAL VARIATIONS THAI TRADITION IS TO HONOR TALKING, DRESSING, AND ACTING LIKE A MAN EVEN THOUGH THAT MAY NOT BE HOW ONE FEELS, INDIVIDUALISM, WHICH IS A WESTERN IDEAL. SO FATHERING A FAMILY, THOUGH YOUR PREFERRED SEXUAL PARTNER IS MALE, IS FOLLOWING THAI CULTURAL TRADITION.

C. THE KATHOEY ARE NOT LIMITED IN THEIR JOBS, BUT THEY DO HAVE TO OVERCOMPENSATE FOR THEIR DECISION. SO THEY MUST BE INTELLIGENT, DECENT LOOKING AND WELL QUALIFIED TO HOLD A JOB. OTHERWISE, THEY ARE FORCED INTO WORK AT BARS, BROTHELS, AND OTHER “FEMALE” VOCATIONS. (WINTER)

(NOW LETS TAKE A LOOK AT THE KATHOEY THEMSELVES)

IV. BEING A KATHOEY

A. THE THAI BELIEVE THAT THE KATHOEY POSSES A BETTER BODY THAN AN ACTUAL FEMALE (ESTERIK)

A. THESE TRANSGENDERS ARE BELIEVED TO ALSO HAVE A SUPERIOR KNOWLEDGE OF FASHION AND FEMININE DEMEANOR.

B. KATHOEYS ARE ALSO A SEXUAL OUTLET FOR YOUNG MEN. WOMEN ARE TO BE VIRGINS UNTIL MARRIAGE, SO SOME MEN GO AND FIND SEXUAL SATISFACTION IN KATHOEYS.

A. THE KATHOEYS ARE TO BE THOUGHT OF AS SEXUAL LIBERTINES, TO FREELY DO AS THEY PLEASE SEXUALLY, THOUGH THE IDEAL SERIES OF EVENTS FOR A KATHOEY IS FOR A WESTERNER TO FALL IN LOVE WITH THEM, AND TAKE THEM SOMEWHERE BETTER,