Thai Ladyboy Pupils Get Own Restroom

With its spacious, foliage adorned grounds and slightly worn-down classrooms, there is nothing obviously off kilter about the Kampang Secondary School. The school is located in the north eastern part of Thailand known as Isaan that is typically populated by generations of traditional Thai rice farmers.  Every morning at 8am they all gather outside to sing the national anthem and watch the flag being raised. They then are allowed time to use the bathroom before heading off to their home room classes. Kampang is proud of its restrooms. Clean, and surrounded by blossoming tropical plants.  They have even won national awards for their pristine lavatories.

But there is something different about them too. Between the girls’ toilet and the boys’, there is one sign hanging with a half-man, half-woman figure in blue and red. This is the transsexual toilet, and outside, in front of the mirrors, some decidedly girly-looking teenage boys primp their hair and apply make-up.

‘Uncomfortable’

The headmaster, Sitisak Sumontha, estimates that in any given year between 10% and 20% of his boys consider themselves to be transgendered or ladyboys – boys who believe that they were born into bodies of men and were meant to be girls.

“They used to be teased every time they used the boys’ toilets,” he said, “so they started using the girls’ toilets instead. But that made the girls feel uneasy. It made these boys unhappy, and started to affect their school work.”

So the school offered to build the ladyboys their own bathroom, and they welcomed it. Triwate Phamanee is a lanky 13-year-old who is adamant that he will one day change his gender.  “We’re not boys,” he told me, “so we don’t want to use the boys’ toilet – we want them to know we are transsexuals.” Vichai Saengsakul, 15, agrees. “People need to know that being a ladyboy is not a joke,” he says, “it’s the way we want to live our lives. That’s why we’re grateful for what the school has done.”

Story Credit to BBC.com

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