I've been going to the Isaan area many times as I've been married to my Thai wife for 25 years. Last weekend I heard an absolute doozy. My wifes half sister inlaw arrives at my wifes house with her grand son. After they spoke for awhile my wife seemed a bit uneasy. So after granny and her grand son went back to their home I asked my wife what was the problem. She told me that she asked the grand son who my wife has never seen before and who looked and dressed rather effiminate are you a boy or a girl? The cute little darling replied that he was a kathoey and he's only 13 years old so it appears that he will be in Pattaya in the next 7 or 8 years. The mind boggles.

Edited August 5Aug 5 by Rams86

At 13 he’s already got his career mapped out. Took me until 40 to figure mine out.

1 hour ago, Nemises said:

At 13 he’s already got his career mapped out. Took me until 40 to figure mine out.

looks more like the OP has got plans for him , Do they all go to Pattaya ? is it a sort of right of passage?

Hardly suprising at all. My Thai ex family knew several kathoey boys about 10 years old, completely accepted at school and in the village...

19 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

looks more like the OP has got plans for him , Do they all go to Pattaya ? is it a sort of right of passage?

" I've got plans for him," that's a decent stretch as I don't even know him. He's not from my wifes family but he is a grand son of my wifes half brother. I'm just shocked how a young kid even thinks like that.

At least they are choosing to enjoy themselves. Japanese guys deal with it by isolation and hentai

On 8/5/2026 at 4:55 AM, Rams86 said:

I've been going to the Isaan area many times as I've been married to my Thai wife for 25 years. Last weekend I heard an absolute doozy. My wifes half sister inlaw arrives at my wifes house with her grand son. After they spoke for awhile my wife seemed a bit uneasy. So after granny and her grand son went back to their home I asked my wife what was the problem. She told me that she asked the grand son who my wife has never seen before and who looked and dressed rather effiminate are you a boy or a girl? The cute little darling replied that he was a kathoey and he's only 13 years old so it appears that he will be in Pattaya in the next 7 or 8 years. The mind boggles.

Wouldn't lady boy be the more accurate term? Asking for a friend.

That is normal in Europe, they even get lessons at school to learn to be one. In an actual case, a 14 year old has to pay a fine in a Bavarian School, because he did not want to sit into a class where a Drag Queen was teaching the children about being "different".

Maybe no strong male figures around?

I know there is an argument that people are born this way, but I don't buy it. I feel early environment dictates a lot on how our brains form.

When I was spending my time in Isaan a neighbor came over with her 3 yr old son. Had him wearing lipstick. She wanted a daughter.

My ole lady's school chum friend is a LB, I asked how old when the friend started being a LB and was told when the friend was a todler.

In my extended family here we have the 14-year-old son of a cousin in Bangers, very bright, who loves to paint his face & (I gather) dress up. Whenever my b/f and I visit, his mother tells him to wash his face because the 'rich' falang and his b/f disapprove. Funny that.

And the 7-year-old boy, also intellectually impressive, looks to me a likely homosexual in due course.

Of course in a family of 5 boys (3 in their 20s, all hetero) you would expect such an outcome. With each succeeding boy from 1 woman the probabilities of being homosexual increase by something like 20%. The royal families of Europe including the UK earlier in the C20th are nice examples.

Edited August 7Aug 7 by mfd101

12 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

Wouldn't lady boy be the more accurate term? Asking for a friend.

Depends whether you want to use the English-language term or the well-known Thai-language term for the same phenomenon.

18 minutes ago, mfd101 said:

Of course in a family of 5 boys (3 in their 20s, all hetero) you would expect such an outcome.

No, I really wouldn't.

18 hours ago, Cenovis said:

That is normal in Europe, they even get lessons at school to learn to be one. In an actual case, a 14 year old has to pay a fine in a Bavarian School, because he did not want to sit into a class where a Drag Queen was teaching the children about being "different".

That doesn't sound like teaching someone to be one to me. More like exposing them to something which is different, and exists, that they may well encounter in their adult life. They might not encounter Drag Queens on a regular basis, but people who are different will always be around them.

My Thai gf thought she was on to me once because I have a pair of pink running socks. This was very suspect to her. But she was way off. I'm very hetero.

But I had the same when I saw this guy in a pink shirt today. Not just pink but glittery. But he had a girlfriend.

Goes to show, you never can tell.

2 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

My Thai gf thought she was on to me once because I have a pair of pink running socks. This was very suspect to her. But she was way off. I'm very hetero.

But I had the same when I saw this guy in a pink shirt today. Not just pink but glittery. But he had a girlfriend.

Goes to show, you never can tell.

I'm not so sure about the hetero assertion. 😊 You seem to adore men. Often writing about male celebrities. You wear perfume. You bought yourself a woman, rather than having the ability to keep one naturally. 😊

17 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

My Thai gf thought she was on to me once because I have a pair of pink running socks. This was very suspect to her. But she was way off. I'm very hetero.

But I had the same when I saw this guy in a pink shirt today. Not just pink but glittery. But he had a girlfriend.

Goes to show, you never can tell.

Women’s intuition has a way of identifying these traits in men, she knows you better than you know yourself. And as for Mr glitter some queers swing both ways too.

1 hour ago, ArchieBunker said:

Women’s intuition has a way of identifying these traits in men, she knows you better than you know yourself. And as for Mr glitter some queers swing both ways too.

No, it was just a very one-sided and simplistic way of looking at the world, someone who has pink socks is gay. In reality, in the not the distant past it was boys who were associated with pink and girls with blue. You can't always tell by such simple means. I mean would you have guessed that Rock Hudson was gay? Even I wouldn't have, and I'm unusually perspicacious.

That glitter guy was something to behold, a pink shirt and all embroidered with silver glitter. I would have put money on him being gay, but then his girlfriend sidled up. There are more things under this heaven and earth than any of our philosophies can comprehend.

Edited August 7Aug 7 by Cameroni

Dad when he wasn't out of town coached our sports teams. Theory being in sports all year round stay out of trouble. Baseball, football, basketball,swimming, surfing, with a bunch of other kids competing.

Back in the day we got paddled, paddle hung in the kitchen as we went to school. There it is, steer straight.

Sexuality decisions @ 12, huh, what? Is Dad kicking ass or is this feminine upbringing?

On 8/5/2026 at 8:01 PM, Nemises said:

At 13 he’s already got his career mapped out. Took me until 40 to figure mine out.

And if he's a half-decent sort a White Knight Farnag will snatch him up real quick!

On 8/7/2026 at 7:53 AM, mfd101 said:

In my extended family here we have the 14-year-old son of a cousin in Bangers, very bright, who loves to paint his face & (I gather) dress up. Whenever my b/f and I visit,

Are you male or female?

20 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

Are you male or female?

Male

14 hours ago, Cameroni said:

No, it was just a very one-sided and simplistic way of looking at the world, someone who has pink socks is gay. In reality, in the not the distant past it was boys who were associated with pink and girls with blue. You can't always tell by such simple means. I mean would you have guessed that Rock Hudson was gay? Even I wouldn't have, and I'm unusually perspicacious.

That glitter guy was something to behold, a pink shirt and all embroidered with silver glitter. I would have put money on him being gay, but then his girlfriend sidled up. There are more things under this heaven and earth than any of our philosophies can comprehend.

Even Elton John had a wife albeit for 6 months and he's as kamp as a row of tents.

6 minutes ago, mfd101 said:

Male

Hmmm, ok.

Why would a mother think two gay men would disapprove of a lad wearing some lippy and eyeshadow?

5 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

Hmmm, ok.

Why would a mother think two gay men would disapprove of a lad wearing some lippy and eyeshadow?

Not our thing, and in any case he's too young to be burning his bridges. By the time he's 20 he'll certainly still be homosexual but what his behavioral patterns will be by then, who knows?

Edited August 8Aug 8 by mfd101

My Step(son) already did not want to wear girls clothing when he turned four years old.

No outside pressure,just his decision.

Doing very well in life and getting a good education,also solely his choice.

I am very proud of him!

4 hours ago, Priorexpat said:

Dad when he wasn't out of town coached our sports teams. Theory being in sports all year round stay out of trouble. Baseball, football, basketball,swimming, surfing, with a bunch of other kids competing.

Back in the day we got paddled, paddle hung in the kitchen as we went to school. There it is, steer straight.

Sexuality decisions @ 12, huh, what? Is Dad kicking ass or is this feminine upbringing?

Was that like Lester Burnham's neighbour Colonel Frank Fitts in the movie American Beauty?

17 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Was that like Lester Burnham's neighbour Colonel Frank Fitts in the movie American Beauty?

Have no idea friend.......How about Al Bundy slamming Kelley's boyfriend's head off the door jam? Night Al....