It seems everything can be bought these days with enough money and nothing sells better than sex, or a new sex that is…especially in Thailand.

In Thailand’s ambitious goal to be the hub of everything, there is one field in which Bangkok undoubtedly stands out above the rest – faking it. Notwithstanding pirated CDs, DVDs and knock-off goods, the most extreme form of imitation this city is renowned for is its transexualism. Bangkok is the transgender Mecca for male-to-female sexual reassignment surgery (SRS).

While some of Thailand’s surgeons have been vilified for lacking in qualifications, there is no denying they have the most experience. Coupled with the country’ s lax laws on transgender surgery, hundreds of gender-unhappy tourists and locals flock to Bangkok’s plastic surgery clinics every month.

“Most of my clients are Thai and work in bars and other entertainment venues,” says Dr Thep, a surgeon from the the Pratunam Poly Clinic, a facility specializing in male-to-female SRS operations. The Pratunam Poly Clinic charges just $1600 USD for the procedure, compared to $25,000 in the West.

The actual operation is known as “penile inversion vaginoplasty” involving castration and inverting the skin from the penis and scrotum to create a neovagina. The depth of the new vaginal cavity depends on the size of the penis. “The most common complaint is that the cavity is not big enough,” reports Dr Thep. “In this case we can perform a colon vaginoplasty six months later using skin from the colon to extend the vagina.”

“Everything is just like a girl, you get me? EVERYTHING!” insists Bonny, the proud boyfriend of Oy, the former Miss Tiffany’s Universe, the world’s leading ladyboy beauty pageant. Bonny is and always has been straight. “I didn’t know she was a boy when I first met her. I was really shocked when a friend told me” recalls Bonny. “Oy is just like a girl so there’s no difference for me. Some of my friends are even jealous because she’s so beautiful.”



The archaic notion of transsexuals as suffering from a psychological disease widespread among medical experts and practitioners is exacerbated by the fact that few lobby or activist groups advocate the plight of katoeys.

But the picture is not entirely grim with many families welcoming their new “daughters” with open arms. “My family accepts me for who I am without being judgmental. My mother even paid for my operation, but my father still doesn’t know,” admits Tete, this year’s Miss Tiffany’s Universe runner-up.
As our attitudes become more liberal and progressive, we can only hope changes will follow in the wider community.

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