The Third Sex: Kathoey: Thailand's Ladyboys [Hardcover]

Richard Totman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2004

Through the lives of three kathoey, male transvestites, this introduction to transgender in Thailand places a cultural, historical, religious, biological, and psychological emphasis on international traditions of sexuality. A fascinating anthropological and sociological exploration, the context of transgender is detailed through the challenges and joys found in Manat, Lek, and Akorn as they travel through the social rites of passage to become kathoeys. As a part of the cultural landscape of Thailand, the kathoeys are a modern expression of an archaic tradition, and through these personal stories a wider discussion of transgender and the existence of a "third sex" in international societies emerges.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard Totman has taught at Oxford University, the University of Sussex, and in Thailand.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 196 pages
• Publisher: Souvenir Press (October 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0285636685
• ISBN-13: 978-0285636682
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #540,017 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #40 in Books > History > Asia > Thailand
  • #46 in Books > Gay & Lesbian > Biographies & Memoirs > Transgender

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Khathoey: Issue and People, April 6, 2005

By 

Bu-Chan (Aotearoa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Third Sex: Kathoey: Thailand's Ladyboys (Hardcover)

"The Third Sex" is not a long book, but it gives the reader a good overview of the subject of Thailand's transgender community. Khathoey form what is almost a third gender identity, and they raise some interesting issues for gender identity overall.

The book itself presents a mix of biographical sections, (about two khatoeys called Daeng and Lek), and sections on the wider issue of khatoey. The latter parts cover such issues Buddhism and khathoeys, the sex industry in Thailand, historical and modern khathoey as well as other information.

Totman's access to the transgender community in Thailand is very unusual, and he has been able to gain access to very intimate facets of khatoey life that is denied most people. He has been able to observe people who do not have an easy life in Thailand, despite the overseas image of an open culture to them.

With the biographical sections, the reader also gets to see and know the feelings, hopes, dreams and sometimes the harsh realities of life for khathoeys. These make the book all the more poignant.

Finally, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as it gave an insight into a country and an aspect of it that one normal doesn't see outside cabaret bars. I enjoyed the book immensely, both as a well-written tome, but also as it allowed me to develop and grow in my own thinking. It doesn't not shove anything down your throat, but allows the reader to form their own ideas and thoughts. As a first book on a complex and emotive topic, this is a good one.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Dry Reading, July 31, 2010

By 

Raziel - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Third Sex: Kathoey: Thailand's Ladyboys (Hardcover)

This book was written by, I believe, a nonfiction journalist, and it shows. It reads like a textbook, and I found it to be rather dry. Even though the copyright is 2004, it has the feel of something that came from the 70s.

If you're looking for info about kathoey/katoey, I highly recommend Ladyboys: The Secret World of Thailand's Third Gender by Pornchai Sereemongkonpol and Susan Aldous. The personal accounts of the laydboys detailed therein are written in a more realistic and entertaining manner.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I Enjoy Being A Girl, September 13, 2007

By 

Van Halen (Twin Oaks) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Third Sex: Kathoey: Thailand's Ladyboys (Hardcover)

It's not dazzling prose and Totman recycles some of his research but The Third Sex (a misnomer, of course; Kathoey, like old skool Western TSs, want to "become women," not queer gender) is a great take on a way cool topic. Totman explores primitive Animist society in which MtFs held a spiritual position, then makes a convincing case for Buddhism's conception of karma enculturating them. From there, it's a hop, skip and jump to Thailand's postwar cabaret scene, featuring TG Cinderellas extraordinaire. All through this meganarrative, Totman provides the reader three excellent Kathoey life histories, the final one transcending the diva pretensions of the first two. A few more interviews would have spiced up this volume but, all in all, commendable and intelligent work.