Katheoy, Kathoeys or Thailands third gender who are sometimes called ladyboys are part and parcel of everyday life in the country. Although tolerated in Thai society this group of gay, bi-sexual or transsexual men still have a long way to go before they can say they are fully integrated and not subject to prejudice and discrimination.
I have written a few articles about Thailand's third gender in the past and while doing some research on the subject recently I came across a movie called Iron Ladies and its sequel Iron Ladies II.
The original film although a comedy follows the true life events of a group of Thai men who are transsexuals, gay and bi-sexual who come together to form a volleyball team to complete in the Thai national championships. Although quite funny the film also examines the prejudice and discrimination suffered by the team back in 1996.
While the first movie charts the teams formation and ultimate success in the national volleyball championships the latter movie goes back in time and examines the lives of the team members before they became famous. the final movie was released in 2004.
Both movies are in Thai but have English sub-titles.
Given that attitudes in Thailand have changed somewhat as regards Kathoey's in the last 20 years I would be interested to know what happened to the original Iron Ladies, what they did in their later lives and where are they now?
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