Transsexual emergence: gender variant identities in Thailand

Abstract

This paper aims to contribute to understanding of emergent gender/sexual identities in Thailand. Thailand has become a popular destination for sex change operations by providing the medical technology for a complete transformation, with relatively few procedures and satisfactory results at a reasonable price. Data were gathered from 24 transsexual male-to-female sex workers working in Pattaya and Patpong, well-known sex-tourism hot spots in Thailand. Findings suggest the emergence of new understandings of gender/sexual identity. Sex-tourism/sex work significantly illuminates the process through which gender is contested and re-imagined. The coming together of cultures in Thailand's sex industry, coupled with advances in medical technology, has resulted in the emergence of new concepts of gender.

Cet article vise à apporter sa contribution à la compréhension des identités de genre/sexuelles émergentes en Thaïlande. Ce pays est devenu une destination prisée pour la chirurgie de transformation sexuelle en fournissant la technologie médicale qui permet la transformation complète, sans trop de procédures opératoires et avec des résultats satisfaisants à des prix raisonnables. Les données ont été collectées à partir d'entretiens avec 24 transgenres mtf (hommes vers femmes) exerçant le commerce du sexe à Pattaya et à Patpong, des lieux très connus pour le tourisme sexuel en Thaïlande. Les résultats suggèrent l'émergence de nouvelles compréhensions de l'identité de genre/sexuelle. Le tourisme sexuel et le commerce du sexe apportent un éclairage important sur le processus à travers lequel le genre est contesté et repensé. La rencontre des cultures dans l'industrie du sexe en Thaïlande, associée aux progrès de la technologie médicale, a pour résultat l'émergence de nouvelles conceptions du genre.

El objetivo de este artículo es ayudar a entender las nuevas identidades sexuales/de género en Tailandia. Tailandia se ha convertido en un destino popular para las operaciones de cambio de sexo porque dispone de la tecnología médica para una completa transformación, con relativamente pocos procedimientos y resultados satisfactorios a un precio razonable. Para este estudio, se recogieron los datos de 24 transexuales de hombre a mujer que trabajan en la industria sexual de Pattaya y Patpong, centros activos bien conocidos del turismo sexual en Tailandia. Los resultados indican la aparición de nuevos conceptos de la identidad sexual/de género. El turismo y el trabajo sexual destacan en gran medida el proceso por el que se cuestiona y reimagina cada sexo. El encuentro de las culturas en la industria sexual de Tailandia, unido a los avances de tecnología médica, ha dado lugar a la aparición de nuevos conceptos del sexo.

Keywords:

• sexualities
• sex reassignment surgery
• transgender
• sex tourism
• Thailand

Notes

^1. Queer includes many diverse and marginal sexualities, inter-sex people; ‘human beings whose biological sex cannot be classified as clearly male or female’ (Dreger 2001; Money and Ehrhardt 1972) and transgenders. The convergence of feminism and the gay liberation movement, essentially through the emergence of third wave feminism recognising marginal sexualities, has resulted in the emergence of ‘queer’ as an inclusive category (Jagose 1996).

^2. Interviews were conducted with a total of 25 full transsexuals; however, one transsexual was excluded from analysis because, by his own account, he was a gender normative man undergoing sex reassignment surgery solely for financial reasons.

^3. The author is a cisgender woman, a term that indicates that one's gender identity is congruent with one's birth sex (Bender-Baird 2008).

^4. At the time of the study, the exchange rate was approximately 50 baht to 1GBP.

^5. Empower Foundation is a group formed by female sex workers to protect the ‘rights’ of female sex workers in terms of violations from clients and bar owners and includes the provision of basic healthcare knowledge for safe sex and skills training for other employment.