title: 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.
authors.affiliation: Gender and Development Studies, Asian Institute of Technology, Pathumthani, Thailand. witchayaneeocha@gmail.com
authors.forename: Witchayanee
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ocha
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000884:Anthropology, Cultural; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011287:Prejudice; D036301:Qualitative Research; D057830:Gender-Affirming Surgery; D060386:Sex Workers / Q000523:psychology*; D012938:Social Perception; D013785:Thailand; D014189:Transsexualism / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult