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Kathoey

'Kathoey' (Thai: กะเทย) is a Thai designation that historically covered feminine men, trans women and intersex persons alike. In contemporary Thai usage, kathoey mainly refers to AMAB persons who present or live as women. In popular English the term 'ladyboy' is sometimes used, which can be experienced as derogatory in Thailand itself.

What is meant by it?

Kathoey is not an exact equivalent of 'transgender woman': it is a cultural category with deep roots in Thai Buddhist and social history. The group has a visible presence in Thai media, fashion and entertainment, but its socio-economic position remains precarious — kathoey young people often end up in lower segments of the labour market.

Distinction and overlap

Similar third-gender roles elsewhere are hijra (South Asia), fa'afafine (Samoa) and muxe (Mexico). Unlike hijra, kathoey has no religious-ceremonial tradition of blessing; the role is social and cultural, not ritual.

Social and practical context

Thailand does not have legal recognition of a third gender; kathoeys remain male in official documents. Visibility in Thai society is high, but formal equal status is lacking: a kathoey cannot, for example, enter into a marriage as a woman. Thailand is medically leading in transition care and feminising surgery; many foreign trans persons travel to Bangkok for procedures.

Critical perspectives

The Western 'transgender' frame does not fit one-to-one onto kathoey: the term has its own cultural charge and traditionally also includes feminine homosexual men who do not see themselves as women. Relabelling kathoey as 'Thai trans' projects contemporary Western categories onto a local social phenomenon — clarifying in some respects, distorting in others.