BangkokPost.com
(dpa) – It was Friday night in Pattaya, a Thai beach resort better known for its wild entertainment scene than its beaches, and the main attraction was the 10th Miss Tiffany’s Universe beauty pageant.
Thirty delicate contestants floated onto the glitzy stage in long, flowing dresses, kicking off a two-hour contest of beauty, talent and brains that culminated after midnight with the crowning of Thanyarat Jirapatpakorn as this year’s prettiest lady boy in Thailand.
The annual beauty pageant, an outgrowth of the nightly Tiffany’s transvestite show in Pattaya, is Thailand’s most celebrated tribute to “katoeys,” or lady boys.
“The Miss Tiffany’s Universe contest is something cute and colourful,” said Viroj Tangvanich, chairman of the Rainbow Sky Association, a gay advocacy group. “Also, it supports Thailand’s image as a gay paradise.”