A passerby

[The_Traveler]

Really the only kind of photography that I like involves the depiction of people, amazing in their infinite variety. I was reminded how much I liked this picture as I was working on a huge project to refine my tags and delete crap from my archive.

While the picture has not much story in itself, knowing a little bit of background may help you look at it with some more insight. This picture is of a kathoey (or katoey) in the street market near Nana Plaza in Bangkok. Kathoey is a Thai term that refers to either a transgender woman or an effeminate gay male in Thailand. This is not a simple term and a read of this will be enlightening.

Thai as a people are quite beautiful. They are generally slender, gracile and smooth skinned; it has always been my impression that some of the most beautiful women in Thailand are men. But when a Westerner comes across a kathoey, they are often quite animated in an expression of their femininity and it is unusual to be able to focus on one and actual see her at rest. I have been to a kathoey nightclub in Nana Plaza and the display of real beauty - in the flesh - is almost overwhelming when coupled with the knowledge that these women either started or are anatomically male.

I was sitting at the end of a row of chairs at a table and a bunch of the dancers, 4 or 5, came over to talk to me. One asked what I thought and, when I replied that they were all quite beautiful but I was happily married, they thought that was funny and one said that most of their clients were happily married. I bought a round of drinks and that was that. Bear in mind that all of the women were naked except for small cache-sex; I was completely dressed. They waved from the stage when we left. (I was there with a couple of ex-pats and a tourist couple from Poland who were struck dumb.)

So, here is this picture, taken in the street market of an attractive kathoey, who is concentrating on her call and not on her surroundings or the people surrounding her. I have always been impressed with how they, as a group, have made their new gender part of themselves. They aren't dressing up, they are what they are.

Probably the most famous kathoey in the world is Nong Thoom a muay Thai boxer whose life was described in a movie Beautiful Boxer.
This is a picture of the real Nong Thoom used by permission of Wikipedia under Creative Commons.

Travel is enlightening.

 

[71M]

Nice pictures. Deleting crap from my archive folders - this is what I'm in the middle of, last couple of days. Quantities of bracketed raw zzZZ.

 

[oldhippy]

You are a joy to read, and a pretty fair photog. Ed

 

[pixmedic]

the wiki article was pretty interesting Lew. maybe its just a cultural thing, but I don't look at them and feel pity OR blame, Karma notwithstanding.
on a totally unrelated note....I would make out with either of them.

 

[mmaria]

....I would make out with either of them.

got to lol on this one

 

[The_Traveler]

the wiki article was pretty interesting Lew. maybe its just a cultural thing, but I don't look at them and feel pity OR blame, Karma notwithstanding.
on a totally unrelated note....I would make out with either of them.

yeah, but how willing would they be?
that mustache is a big shock!

 

[pixmedic]

the wiki article was pretty interesting Lew. maybe its just a cultural thing, but I don't look at them and feel pity OR blame, Karma notwithstanding.
on a totally unrelated note....I would make out with either of them.

yeah, but how willing would they be?
that mustache is a big shock!

Well, it is a lot to take in at first, but eventually they all love the 'stache.

 

[The_Traveler]

the wiki article was pretty interesting Lew. maybe its just a cultural thing, but I don't look at them and feel pity OR blame,

This is an even more interesting response. My impression is, once one gets far away from their own culture and the responses built up in that culture, then that person is free to look at something new and judge it completely on its own merits.
So at home where Western culture - and particularly religion - has built this set of standards that we judge everything by, one might judge the life and behavior of a kathoey as being deviant and maybe think they are doing wrong or being wrong and even feel pity.
Casting off that crap and being somewhere else gives a traveler a chance to start again, to make judgments free of whatever his/her past has wrapped him in.

If kathoeys, or anyone else, aren't imposing their issues on anyone vulnerable, they can do what they want. Truly not my place to make a judgement.

 

[jenko]

Interesting write-up and perspective. I was literally just reading about how different cultures interpret transgender lifestyles. Some cultures have more than two genders. Some have as many as four.

 

[pixmedic]

Interesting write-up and perspective. I was literally just reading about how different cultures interpret transgender lifestyles. Some cultures have more than two genders. Some have as many as four.

sounds like a party to me!

 

[bc_steve]

the wiki article was pretty interesting Lew. maybe its just a cultural thing, but I don't look at them and feel pity OR blame,

This is an even more interesting response. My impression is, once one gets far away from their own culture and the responses built up in that culture, then that person is free to look at something new and judge it completely on its own merits.
So at home where Western culture - and particularly religion - has built this set of standards that we judge everything by, one might judge the life and behavior of a kathoey as being deviant and maybe think they are doing wrong or being wrong and even feel pity.
Casting off that crap and being somewhere else gives a traveler a chance to start again, to make judgments free of whatever his/her past has wrapped him in.

If kathoeys, or anyone else, aren't imposing their issues on anyone vulnerable, they can do what they want. Truly not my place to make a judgement.

I find what makes travel so rewarding is how often it kicks you out of your comfort bubble.

 

[The_Traveler]

I found out, to my dismay, that I am perfectly safe anywhere in gay clubs or katoey bars.
I'm not pretty enough to be cruised in gay bars nor rich enough to attract attention in Katoey clubs.

 

[padaek]

The Lao also refer to them as kathoey, although the 'y' isn't pronounced, like khatoi.

Being an ESL teacher, I have had kathoeys in the classroom. Mostly, one has to look hard or atleast twice to make sure. I find them generally dynamic personalities and very intelligent.