Congress Paper Abstract

A Western transsexual woman’s transition in an Eastern culture

GILL CHRYSTINA DALTON

I have lived in Thailand for 13 years and am a recently transitioned transsexual woman. This paper outlines my experience of transitioning from male to female in Thailand, a process in striking contrast to that experienced by many transsexual people in Britain. I first became aware of the difficulties, obstacles and protracted ’treatment’ commonly experienced by transitioning transsexual people in the West whilst attending the 18th. Biennial Symposium of the Harry Benjamin Association in Gent, in September 2003, some three months after undergoing my own sex reassignment surgery in Thailand.

Hearing the unfortunate stories of some transsexuals who have transitioned in the UK, and whose experiences contrasted to my own extremely positive experience where in effect, I was allowed control over my own mind and body, has inspired me to set up our project, "Dawn of Light".

"Dawn of Light" will be a foundation with a purpose built centre in Thailand and reaching out globally with the following aims :-

1. raise awareness and bring the plight of transgendered people more into public focus.
2. educate people about the suffering, whether financial or emotional that so many experience
3. help people understand that we are dealing with a medically accepted condition of Gender Dysphoria, in which the brain does not match the body.
4. raise funding issues
5. start an International Education programme in order to educate the international community about transgenderism in a bid to ’normalise’ or ’demystify’ the issues at stake.
6. outreach. Connect globally with TG communities worldwide. In this way provide funding for the likes of TG people living below the poverty line in say Latin America, TS prostitutes in New York, Thai Kathoeys working in the sex industry, many through no other reason than it being the only work available to them.

I now encounter, almost every day, the marked contrast in attitudes between Western and Eastern societies and this paper will highlight just how marked these differences are.

Previous abstract

Next abstract