The Lady Boys of Bangkok have returned to Manchester in spectacular style with a flamboyant extravaganza combining glitz and glamour with sizzling cabaret and side-splitting comedy.
This year’s tour, Glamorous Amorous, promises to be the best yet with classic numbers from Saturday Night Fever to modern hits like Cheryl Cole and even a bit of Gangnam Style.
Ahead of the UK tour MM caught up with performer, Jacqueline, to find out what life as a lady boy is really like.
In the last decade Thailand has experienced a Kathoey phenomenon – the Thai term for men who dress and live their life as women.
Jacqueline said: “In Thailand it is accepted and it is consistent with Buddhist and Hindu teachings.
“It does take some families a while to adapt but I believe you should be true to yourself and being a lady boy is much more than dressing as a woman – it is a way of life.”
She says that with time families come around to the idea and she thanks her own family for their love and support.
Lady boys are gaining more and more acceptance in Thailand, in fact it is one of the few countries in the world to recognise them as a third sex – Kathoey.
While many of them work in the entertainment industry, like Jacqueline, they can be found working in almost any job from standard 9-5 office jobs to fashion.
Jacqueline said: “In my country it has always been part of the culture and long accepted. In the UK it is not so common but people have always been lovely to me and accepted me for who I am and that is all I can ask.”
Westerners are becoming increasingly curious about the life of lady boys and testament to this is the growing sex tourism industry in Bangkok.
Over the past few years several television series have been made documenting the relationships that British men develop with Thai lady boys.
Jacqueline says that she does not believe that these programmes exploit lady boys and the culture.
She said: “As long as people respect who Kathoeys are then it is a good thing.”
Despite the seemingly liberal acceptance in major cities such as Bangkok, lady boys still face barriers.
They cannot marry a person of the same sex and it is impossible for them to change their gender on a passport or birth certificate.
Choosing to live as a woman can mean anything from dressing in drag to transsexuals who have gone through gender-reassignment surgery.
The process of becoming a lady boy starts early for most, often in their early teens, with hormone drug treatment.
Jacqueline says that becoming a part of The Lady Boys of Bangkok show changed her life for the better.
She said: “I was performing back home and when I heard about auditions for a show in the UK I thought it was a great chance and luckily I was picked.”
She says that the show is a great opportunity and she loves seeing all the different places in the UK.
Jacqueline said: “Performing in Manchester is brilliant! The audience get really into the show and watch our performance which just makes it even better for us!
“I am looking forward to coming back to Manchester, we love shopping so I am sure you will see us out and about in the shops.”
She believes that the best way people in the UK can educate themselves about lady boys is to research the term Kathoey or attend one of the shows.
Jacqueline is looking forward to this year’s tour and says this year will be better than ever before.
She said: “They can expect a lot of fun and glitter! The show is a mixture of classic and current songs and one or two that are slightly cheeky.
“As long as the audience go away thinking they have had the best time I am happy.”
However, Jacqueline is keen to stress that performing is not the only interest The Lady Boys of Bangkok have as they are also heavily involved with a Thai children’s charity.
The Pattaya Street Kids charity is very close to their hearts as it supports children by giving them food, medical attention and clean and safe accommodation.
Jacqueline said: “The children on the streets of Pattaya having nothing – they live in slums, they have no family, are disabled and are simply just trying to live.”
She says that the lady boys just want to give the children a reason to smile again and they want to give something back to their own country.
Jacqueline said: “At the end of each show there are collection buckets and we just ask the audience to donate what they can and their generosity is amazing.”
If you would like to know more about the charity and how to help visit www.pattayastreetkids.org
Tickets for the Glamourous Amourous are available here.
Picture courtesy of Madhouse Associates via Flickr, with thanks
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