Sex Change Limits in Thailand

In 2007 a willowy, gorgeous 21-year old student Thanyarasmi Siraphatphakorn won the Miss Tiffany Universe pageant—for being the most beautiful transvestite in Thailand.

There are no official numbers for how many transsexuals exist in Thailand. By some estimates it could be around 10,000, with one doctor saying he does procedures three times a week (half of them foreigners), and others say as many as 20% of schoolboys call themselves a transsexual even without a sex change operation, causing one school to install transsexual bathrooms, with a logicial bathroom sign:


I've always wondered about transsexual prevalence, when it seems Asians (at least in the states) are much more conservative than Westerners. Transsexual rights campaigner Suttirat Simsiriwong says, "Thai society and culture tend to be very sweet, very soft, and the men can be really feminine, if we tend to be gay, many of us tend to be transgender" and that the number of transsexuals in Thailand are no more than transsexuals elsewhere. According to the American Psychological Association 1 in 11,900 men and 1 in 30,400 women are uncomfortable being in the body they were born in and wish they were of a different sex.

Maybe transsexuality in Thailand is like bisexuality in Manhattan. And with prices like $1,000 to $6,000 to become a woman (a three-hour procedure), it's no wonder there are so many so-called "katoeys" in Thailand.

So today, the Thai Department of Health issued rules to limit sex change surgeries and make candidates think more carefully about their decisions, which are irreversible:

1. Candidates must be at least 18 (this rule was always in place)
2. Candidates must cross-dress for one year after informing a doctor of the initial decision and undergo hormone therapy
3. Candidates must undergo a mental evaluation before the surgery, obtain approvals from two psychiatrists, and attend follow-up visits with a psychiatrist after the surgery.

There are absolutely no numbers I could find about how much Thais have spend on sexual reassignment surgeries, and not even how many undergo SRS. While I am pretty sure any of those looking to do this are very certain of their decision, and an SRS isn't exactly the same as getting a tattoo, these rules should eliminate any of those "I'm drunk so let's do it" type of decisions.

Anyway I'm guessing waking up the next morning and wishing you hadn't castrated yourself is probably kind of devastating. In any case, I think these rules are a great call.