One absolute must-do in the Other Sin City is to attend a ladyboy cabaret. Ladyboys or Kathoey as they are called in Thailand are what are known in the West as transsexual men. In Southeast Asia and the Pacific Rim, gender lines are less rigid and more fluid. Kathoeys are highly tolerated in the country and are a big draw for foreign tourists. In fact, young men from rural farming communities go to the big cities like Pattaya and Bangkok to work in the lucrative field, a night’s wage equivalent (or more) to a year toiling in the hot sun. Many of the ladyboys were incredibly beautiful and with some encouragement, liquid or otherwise, may have tempted the stereotypical heterosexual males to take a clandestine dip into the exotic.
I took secret pleasure in the reactions of the straight folks in our tour group after the cabaret show at Tiffany’s Show Pattaya. Were some of the women intimated? Did the fellas blush from all the gorgeous attention? Most importantly, did minds, hearts, or perspectives change (even for the briefest seconds) from the experience?
