THAILAND'S SECRET SEX

In Bangkok's notorious red-light area, many of the beautiful Thai girls who work the bars are not what they seem. Known as "katoys," they are in fact men who choose to have sex-change operations so they can work as prostitutes. Many of their male clients never learn the truth.

by Richard S. Ehrlich and Helen Gent


Nok sits alone in a bar in Patpong Street watching the Western men come and go. She flicks back her long black hair and smiles encouragingly as they pass. A cocktail appears at her table. Nok looks up and blows a crimson kiss at the man who's staring at her from across the bar. Later, consumed by booze and bravado, he approaches her. He tells her she's the most beautiful woman he's ever seen. He says he has money, plenty of money. Nok giggles and takes him by the hand. Later, much later, he slips, satisfied, back to his hotel. He has no idea he has slept with a "katoy."

In Thailand, there are an estimated 10,000 katoys. It's an ambiguous term, spanning full male-to-female transsexuals who have had their penises removed, breast implants and an artificial vagina inserted, to men who have had breast implants but have kept their penises. In addition, there are also transvestites who work the cabaret circuit and male actors who dress as women for television. Eunuchs have been part of Thai society for centuries, living, sometimes reluctantly, as women. They were generally males born with deformed genitals; it was not until 1972 that breast implants and full sex-change operations became available in the country.

Except for a few of the transsexuals who manage to live "normal" lives, most katoys work as prostitutes in Bangkok's infamous red-light district. Many of these started out as gay male prostitutes who realised they could attract both gay and straight clientele if they had breasts. Many others were young boys from poor rural areas who came to Bangkok and discovered the financial gains of being a katoy. Many, like Nok, felt that they were women trapped inside men's bodies.

Nok is 23. As soon as she could afford it, she had the operation to remove her penis and create an artificial vagina. "I love being a woman, being able to grow my hair long and wear make-up. As a child, when I saw my mother and sister do that, I wanted to join. Now I can. I think my life is better now. I'm happy."

But Nok still cries when she is alone in her apartment at night. Her boyfriend left her when he discovered she was not a real woman. When they met, Nok was having hormone treatment and dressing as a woman. Her boyfriend thought she was beautiful and did not suspect the truth. They had not yet slept together when she had the sex-change operation. Thinking that the truth would strengthen their relationship, she then told him what she had done. "It's okay. Everything is the same as a woman now," she assured him. But everything was not okay, and he left.

Nok's parents didn't try to stop him when he told them he wanted to become a woman. "They said it was up to me. I want to one day have a lot of money, and help my family when they get old and I stop work. I want to have a boyfriend, but not a Thai man. I want a Japanese boyfriend. I went with a Japanese man once and he gave me 5,000 baht ($200) for a short time. It was very good money for me. He didn't know I had changed into a lady. Most of my customers don't know I was a man before."

Few clients do. Thai men often have feminine features and little body hair, and those who become katoys tend to be tall and slim. Once they have dressed and applied their make-up, a katoy can easily pass for a woman. Even those who are familiar with the circuit can't always be sure.

Katoys are generally accepted in Thai society. People may point and stare on the street, but they are rarely treated with hostility or contempt. Only the katoy prostitutes known to be petty thieves, bullies and street-fighters are shunned and feared. Occasionally, there is trouble if a katoy is found out when she's with a client. Maybe the man agrees to oral sex, then realises something is wrong when the katoy says they cannot have intercourse. Maybe he simply sobers up. Either way, katoys are prepared. They know how to get out fast. Sometimes a client will return to the bar later, looking for revenge. But the katoys aren't scared. They stick together and they know that the "mama-san," or manageress, will protect them. If there is a fight then the man usually comes off worse.

Tonight in the bar there is no trouble. Nok sits at her usual table waiting for a Western man to buy her a drink. She chats to her friend Oy. The son of rural shrimp farmers. Oy came to Bangkok a year ago. "My friends told me, 'If you go to Patpong, you'll have big money'." Four months after arriving in Bangkok, Oy started having hormone treatment. Now she has breasts but doesn't want to become a full transsexual. Her family accepted her decision to become a katoy. "My parents know I am a lady. After the breast operation they opened my shirt. They said I looked beautiful. I have two brothers and one sister. They all said the same thing as my parents. No one in my family is angry with me. Now I can afford to send money to them. In a normal month I make about 30,000 baht ($1,200) -- I send them 20,000 baht ($800). I'm happy as a lady."

Until she came to Bangkok, Oy had never had a girlfriend -- or a boyfriend. Now she has a boyfriend in America. She proudly shows off his business car. "He is gay. He likes me this way. He told me not to have my penis cut off. But with customers I have to tell them before I agree to go with them, so there won't be any problems later. I say to them: 'You're not angry with me are you? Even though I'm not a real lady, if you like me I'll go with you. If not, that's okay. I'll go away'. Everybody says yes. Everybody goes with me."

Someone is ready to go with her now. The middle-aged Englishman who has been buying Oy drinks all evening wants them to leave. She explains that she is a katoy. In this situation, if they are not repulsed, some men are intrigued and become voyeurs, inspecting the katoy's body but not taking it any further. Others are aroused and go with them for some kind of sexual experience. This client agrees to oral sex and Oy leads him to the bar, where he pays the mama-san $20 -- the "fine" to compensate the bar for losing one of its attractions for the evening.

The mama-san signs Oy out, noting the number on her ID tag. Like most male and female prostitutes who work in bars, all the katoys in this bar must wear an ID tag to show that they have been "okayed" by the mama-san to work here. It is now up to Oy and her "friend" to negotiate a price for her services. They could go to a room upstairs, but the man wants to take her to a short-stay hotel where he can pay by the hour for a room. He knows from experience that these places are clean and have bathroom facilities. Oy waves to Nok as she leaves, gesturing that she will return to the bar when she is finished.

Meanwhile Nok is happy sitting in the bar, waiting for a customer. She is in a playful mood tonight. She slips her dress down to expose her body. "When I went for the operation at Karuna Pitak Clinic, the doctor didn't ask me if I like men or women. He just said it was okay for me to have the operation if I had the money. My breasts cost me 32,000 baht ($1,280) plus 80,000 ($3,200) to cut me here," -- she indicates her groin.

The sex-change operation involves turning the penile sheath inside out and inserting it into the abdominal cavity to make a tunnel, using the scrotum as labia. Oestrogen pills must be taken permanently. Many katoys have an artificial vagina, but some retain their penises because they are afraid of complications, or because they want the option of discontinuing their hormone treatment and reverting to being a male. Some are gay and still enjoy initiating penetrative sex. Others simply haven't got the money.

Nok knows she's not allowed to take off her clothes in the bar because they don't have a licence -- unlike the go-go bars where katoys dance topless. If the police catch her she'll be in trouble, but she's proud of her body and wants to show it to the photographer. The men in the bar watch wide-eyed, mentally counting the money in their pockets. It's not long before Nok leaves with one of them in tow.

At 2am Nok and Oy meet up after finishing at the bar. They walk to Soi Cowboy street where they meet their friend, Lat, who works at a go-go bar there. Lat is having hormone treatment but it is too early for her to have breast implants. She doesn't know whether she will have the full operation. For now, she straps her penis between her legs while performing her act.

Tonight the three friends are going to a disco to pick up more men. The lights are bright, the music is loud and everyone is having fun. Nok recognises a female prostitute and goes over to say hello. There is no animosity between katoys and regular prostitutes and many of them socialise together when they are not working. Oy shares an apartment with a female prostitute, lending her money when business is bad. There is no arguing over who gets the best clients -- katoys and prostitutes are free to set their own prices. Oy says they are like sister. They shop for clothes together, help each other with make-up and sleep in the same bed.

But gay male prostitutes are sometimes not tolerated and katoys are often openly abusive towards them. "If a man wants to be with another man, he should look like a woman," says Nok. "It's ugly to see two men together when one doesn't appear to be female." Oy agrees: "If you are a man and you want to be with another man, then you should look beautiful like a woman." Lat is silent. Until she has breasts she will not feel like a true woman. Oy understands how she feels. She was once said to be a man, too. But now she is happy. She says her American boyfriend will come back to take care of her. The others shake their heads. They have told her not to trust him. But she holds his business card to her heart defiantly. Then she flicks back her long, black hair, pouts her lips and waits for the men to come.