Chiang Khong, Thailand – The 15-year-old aspiring “ladyboy” delicately applied a puff of talcum powder to his nose – an act of rebellion at the Thai Buddhist temple where he is learning to “be a man”.
“They have rules here that novice monks cannot use powder, make-up, or perfume, cannot run around and be girlish,” said Pipop Thanajindawong, who was sent to Wat Kreung Tai Wittaya, in Chiang Khong on the Thai-Laos border, to tame his more feminine traits.
But the monks running the temple’s program to teach masculinity to boys who are “katoeys,” the Thai term for transsexuals, have their controversial work cut out.
“Sometimes we give them money to buy snacks but he saved it up to buy mascara,” headteacher Phra Pitsanu Witcharato said of Pipop.
Novice monks’ days pass as in any other temple – waking before dawn, collecting alms and studying Buddhism – but every Friday attention turns to the katoeys at the attached school.
“Were you born as a man or a woman or can you not specify your gender – not man or woman?” asked Phra Pitsanu at a recent assembly. “You cannot be anything else but your true gender, which is a man. As a novice you can only be a man.”
The temple has a stricter interpretation than others of rules governing behaviour during Buddhist training that is a key childhood experience for many Thai boys.
Pupils are banned from using perfume and make-up and prohibited from singing, playing music and running.
“We cannot change all of them but what we can do is to control their behaviour to make them understand that they were born as a man… and cannot act like a woman,” said Phra Pitsanu.
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posted July 22, 2011 at 2:26 pm
Good Luck with all that! They are messing with the brains of boys who apparently were born in the wrong body–as their brain says they are females.
posted July 22, 2011 at 7:10 pm
These monks can follow whatever rules they please in their temple, as far as I’m concerned. But I’m a little disturbed about these kids being “sent” to the temple (i.e., not going of their own free will) to be taught how to dress and act masculine. Maybe it’s a character flaw on my part, but cross-dressing in and of itself doesn’t strike me as behavior that warrants this kind of reaction. If the kids were getting into real trouble (stealing stuff, using drugs, etc.) I might be more understanding.
posted January 24, 2012 at 8:22 pm
I agree with the above commentators. This is a disgusting practice and manipulating ladyboys with this kind of false paranoid guilt is a definite and guaranteed way to get you attacked by tragic and inescapable Karma. Or as you would call it “sowing and reaping”. Disgusting! As if they do not already face violence and discrimination. Reprehensible!!!