The pharmacy
I frequent (well, not a full-blown drug store; think Boots, Watsons, Clicks)
employs a number of attractive ladies at the extensive cosmetics section, each
seemingly an expert on a specific brand name or two.
Keep in mind
that it is rather rare to encounter salespeople versed in the English language,
even in the upmarket shopping malls – which I don’t frequent that often. At this
pharmacy though, the nice ladies speak workable English, but you still have to
use only simple words and talk slowly.
So, once you’ve
managed to explain your mission: to buy a reasonably priced day cream without
whitener for mature skin, the ladies do what they are paid to.
The
salesperson who has impressed me most during the last three years, is one of
the said ladies in this particular pharmacy. Well, actually, she has not been a
woman all her life. She was born a boy, who chose to become a girl, for reasons
that are not for me to judge. I find her a competent, friendly, well-groomed
lady who speaks with a soft voice (yes, I know they do that to disguise the distinctive
male voice) and most important, she understands that I want.
If you’ve
live here for a number of years, you get to quickly recognise a transsexual or ‘katoey’*
(during my first months here, I could distinguish between all the beautiful Thai
ladies), you get to accept them as part of society; in Thailand often referred
to as the third gender. No-one seems to understand why there are so many of
them in Thailand. Fortunately they generally have greater acceptance in Thailand than
most other Asian countries.
As a
Christian you would say that I should condemn such conduct, but I believe that
as a Christian, I am not to judge. That’s God’s job. Amen.
The other
day, when I went to the pharmacy to spoil myself with some indulgence, she
convinced me to buy a rather expensive shower gel – “it is a top seller in the
UK and a very good product”. As I was paying, I quipped “I hope your supervisor
realises what a good saleslady you are.” She smiled proudly. If the culture allowed it,
I would have given her a hug.
Judge not, lest
ye be judged.
Scrubbing those boots for the next journey,
Renate
*The word kathoey is thought to be of Khmer origin (the equivalent Khmer word is
"kteuy"). It is
most often rendered as ladyboy in English conversation with Thais
and this latter expression has become popular across South East Asia. Kathoeys are more visible and more accepted in Thai culture
than transgender or transsexual people are in Western countries or the
Indian subcontinent. Several popular Thai models, singers and movie stars are
kathoeys, and Thai newspapers often print photos
of the winners of female and kathoey beauty contests side by side. The
phenomenon is not restricted to urban areas; there are kathoeys in most
villages, and kathoey beauty contests are commonly held as part of local fairs.
Using the notion of Karma, some Thai believe that being a
kathoey is the result of transgressions in past
lives, concluding that kathoey deserve pity rather than blame.
A common stereotype is that older
well-off kathoey provide financial support to young men with whom they are in a
personal relationship.
Kathoeys currently face many social and
legal impediments. Families (and especially fathers) are typically disappointed
if a son becomes a kathoey, and kathoeys often have to face the prospect of coming out. Legal recognition of
kathoeys and transsexuals is
non-existent in Thailand: even if transsexuals have had genital reassignment
surgery, they are not allowed to change their legal sex. Discrimination in
employment remains rampant. Issues
can also arise in regards to access
to amenities and gender
allocation; for example, a kathoey and a transsexual who has undergone sexual reassignment surgery would still have to stay in an
all-male prison.
(All this information was taken from
Wikipedia, so please validate accordingly).
