NationMultiMedia.com – Jetsada Taesombat – The Nation
Castration of young boys is now a controversial issue being closely watched by socieyty as a whole and debated bydifferent groups.
On April 1, the Medical Council issued a ban on all such operations, pending further deliberation. This article is not intended to support or oppose the ban, but to draw attention to the context that young Thai male-to-female transgenders live in.
Testicle removal has been a social phenomenon among Thai katoeys (transsexuals) for a number of years. The reason for last week’s uproar was only because of its occurrence among youths, who are regarded in Thai society as being impressionable, vulnerable and easily led astray by fashions and trends. Many youths may misunderstand the situation and see “transgenderism” as a fad. But the irreversible procedure may later become nothing but a grave mistake.