Tiaras at Thai transsexual beauty
contest
PATTAYA, Thailand - Resplendent in a
figure-hugging grey and black dress, Sorrawee Nattee wept tears of
joy after being crowned Thailand's most beautiful transsexual at a
unique pageant.
Sorrawee took the top prize at Miss Tiffany's Universe 2009 in the
beach resort of Pattaya, beating off 29 other transsexuals and
receiving a small Honda car, and 100,000 baht (2,860 dollars) in
cash on Friday night.
"I'm very excited," the willowy 20-year-old from Thailand's
southern Songkhla province said, touching the glimmering winner's
crown with disbelieving fingers.
She appeared overwhelmed by hordes of photographers, camera crews
and well-wishers, the scene played out before a live television
audience of 15 million people.
In a nation obsessed with beauty pageants and famous for its sexual
tolerance, this elaborate contest is taken every bit as seriously
as the more traditional competitions.
Against a soundtrack of thumping music, the pageant featured an
Italian Casanova-themed number involving gondolas and masked
dancers. And a pirate ship drifted across the stage swirled in
thick "fog."
There were categories for Best Costume, Miss Photogenic and even
Miss Unlimited Sexy Star.
The packed theatre was a mix of transsexuals, gay and straight
couples, and Western tourists who appeared to have wandered in off
the main Pattaya drag.
Dresses ranged from flowing white ensembles to shimmering red
numbers and pink miniskirts. High heels were a must.
The evening was put on by Tiffany's Show Pattaya, which owners say
is the world's largest transsexual cabaret.
All contestants were born men, and organisers said they hoped to
raise public awareness of transgendered issues.
"She had smart answers and is very beautiful," Marut Sarowat, a
well-known television and stage director who was one of the judges,
said of Sorrawee.
He added that Thailand is generally accepting of
transsexuals.
"I think our country is open for all kinds of genders," he said.
"Because everyone should do their best for themselves and for
society. Thai people can accept transsexuals. All people must be
good people."
When asked to name her hero, winner Sorrawee earned loud applause
by naming her mother and father, and as the evening progressed,
cheers for her grew louder and louder as the audience urged their
favourite to victory.
"Kathoeys," also known as "ladyboys," are highly visible in
Buddhist-majority Thailand, and have achieved prominence in popular
culture such as on television and in musical acts.
And many kathoeys work in salons, clothing shops, and travel
agencies.
But the nation's relaxed attitudes toward what it views as the
"third sex" does not mean that all obstacles to acceptance have
been eliminated.
Many transsexuals live their lives as women, but cannot change
their national ID cards from male to female.
Napatsawan Cholakorn, 21, who won third place, said she was not
disappointed at missing out on the top prize.
"It's very hard to win because the transgendered people in Thailand
are the best in the world," she said. "Transgendered people here
are not much different than women -- and Thailand has a lot of
competition."