Gender Identity

Many languages include different forms for words based on the gender of the object referred to or who is speaking to whom. Most familiar to us is Spanish where even inanimate objects, such as a door or a book, are assigned a gender and words referring to it are translated as either male or female. English is probably in the minority of languages that don't change forms of words depending on gender. Thai also has different forms of words based on gender but in Thai the form is changed based on the speaker, not who is being spoken to. For example, 'thank you' in Thai ends with 'krup' if a male is speaking and ends with 'ka' if a female is speaking, regardless of who is being spoken to.

The point of the little language lesson is because here in Thailand they have a third gender of sorts, the 'ladyboy'. The 'ladyboy' is a transgender, or a person that started out as a male but has become a female with the assistance of surgery and/or hormones. In the USA, transgender people are still rather rare although we know they exist. In Thailand they are well known and while still somewhat of an entertainment to many, they are well accepted and integrated into society. In fact, the captain from the boat trip we took in Phuket told us that they even have their own gender ending for words. For example, when using the Thai word for 'thank you' a transgender would not use the male ending 'krup' or the female ending 'ka' but they end the word saying 'ha'. The boat captain said the reason is not to create a third gender but because they often look so convincing as as woman, it lets people know otherwise.