the cabaret boys
Guys are glad to be gay……
Mark Knopfler: Dire Straits: The Boys
The Dire Straits number about a nightclub in Munich, Germany, and its transgender cabaret rings in my ears as I write. It’s an iconic and gritty piece, but not entirely true; the boys are definitely not gay. At least the ones in Thailand aren’t, and the same goes for the rest of Southeast Asia in my experience.
Thailand is well known for its welcoming smiles, excellent cuisine, great winter weather, beaches, beautiful women, and riotous, mischievous nightlife. It is also known for its kathoey, or lady-boys. Thai lady-boys range from the stunningly beautiful ones found in Cabaret shows with their magnificent figures and sweet smiles to the tough and often repulsive (and dangerous) drag queens who lead a seedy life of street prostitution in the seedy areas. . from Bangkok and Pattaya. And among those there is a mixture of enchanters and much less.
I have met and met many over the years. I have friends. I move easily between them and am at ease in their presence. And they trust me. I was once the only man in the company of eighteen at a party. We drank and joked with risky jokes. And some were great “girls”. Baffling? A little, but I survived the encounter, and unscathed, I might add.
Can I be cheated? Yes I can and have been often. My wife says that she can always tell. Mainly it’s the voice, but even if the “girl” is perfect and has a female voice, she will know it. She says that lady-boys can be completely convincing to a man, but not to a woman.
But now they have no weapons
…. now everything is fun
Lady-boys have been referred to as the third sex and I buy that description. They are not homosexual. Gay men are men who like other men. Some katoey are in fact transsexuals, men who yearn to become women. A certain katoey however, wants to be a woman, but not quite. They indulge in hormonal treatment that develops their breasts, increases the volume of their hair and feminizes the texture of their skin. They may undergo surgery to reduce the Adam’s apple and to correct and alter other features. But, they hold their hand in genital reassignment. The big surprise between their legs is something they want to keep as it makes them unique; puts the boy in lady-boy.
However, for transsexuals, this phase is a stop along the way. They’re just passing through, a work in progress. They seek, and eventually undertake, the full mount of sexual reassignment. It is true that Katoey does not want to go that far and that is why they keep their weapons.
One thing lady-boys and transsexuals have in common is that, due to the cocktail of hormones and drugs they ingest, they are uniquely sexed, which explains why so many work in the adult sex and nightlife industry as escorts. and stewardesses and others. They like sex, the financial remuneration is the icing on the cake.
So what kind of man goes with these ladies of the third sex? It would be too easy to write them off as perverts, latent homosexuals, and weird balls. In my experience, they are normal males with red blood who like a little spice, a little kink. They range from the single to the married, the curious to the engaged, and the shy first-timer to the junkie. I know two men who left their wives for girls.
For example, Ian, a British guy I know. Ian is a male former Parachute Regiment character, a manly man. At thirty-six he looks like a cage fighter. A few years ago, while chasing girls in bars in Birmingham, England, he hooked up with a naughty girl and got the bug. He then he came to Thailand and freaked out. He often comes to Thailand now, for girls and lady-boys.
Then there’s Barry, an Australian friend who has a katoey wife. In middle age now, but not slowing down, Barry put Koy in Phuket three years ago. She is twenty-four years old and incredibly beautiful. She had enjoyed her company and cooking many times and had no reason to doubt her feminine credentials before Barry came clean and told me the details. And since he’s the quintessential hunk with two ex-wives and seven kids, he gave me the scare of my life. I thought he was joking. “No, Koy is a boy.” she said with a wry smile. “But she’s the best girlfriend I’ve ever had.” Enjoying my reaction, he teased her. “Oh, the girls are fine. But you can’t beat the real thing.” But of course Koy is definitely not a boy. She is a lady boy.
What about me then? Where do I fit? I admitted that I am fascinated by beautiful lady-boys and that I am very curious. But since curiosity killed the cat, I have never let my fascination get the better of me. In any case, I am very happily married.
Tony McManus
chiang mai
thailand