Thai Buddhist Ex-Trans Ministry

[Shana A]

Thai Buddhist Ex-Trans Ministry
Saturday, July 16, 2011

http://www.cristanwilliams.com/b/2011/07/16/thai-buddhist-ex-trans-ministry/

I recently discovered that there is an ex-trans temple in Thailand that is trying to chant, meditate and bully the trans out of trans people. Wat Kreung Tai has a special program for male-bodied trans people between the ages of 11 and 18.

The "Kreung" in Wat (Wat = monastery in Thai) Kreung Tai has a certain connotation that's is significant in their reparative detransing effort. Kreung is a term that is generally used to refer to people of mixed racial background and specifically Thais of Western Caucasian and Thai ancestry. The term is sometimes used as a slur and those who are kreung have a history of enduring discrimination due to a lack of what is thought to be racial purity.

[...]

Pitsanu Witcharato, the camp's overseer,  set up the reparative operation in 2008 when he became offended by the number of kathoey who were becoming novice monks.

[Raya]

Pipop is the best. She won't even pretend this is going to be effective or healthy. That's pride in a nutshell.

One thing I never understood about Thailand, though. We hear all the time about how Thailand is supposedly light years ahead of the West, but where are all the trans men?