Reuters
Jutarat Skulpichetrat; editing by Elaine Lies and Jonathan Thatcher
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/16/us-thailand-ladyboys-idUSTRE7BF0EO20111216 (http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/16/us-thailand-ladyboys-idUSTRE7BF0EO20111216)
Thai transsexual ladyboys are taking to the air as flight attendants for a new airline, a move that some said could be a key step towards still broader acceptance in a nation where they are already unusually visible.
That's great news. I hope they do well in their new careers. ^_^
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fqnews.com.au%2Fsites%2Fall%2Fthemes%2Fqnewsnew%2Flogo.png&hash=2bd680ba136f0f16c720e102d4d38ad2888bbf49)
WELCOME TO LADYBOY AIR
By Bonnie Gardiner | January 14th 2012 | 10:09pm
http://qnews.com.au/article/welcome-ladyboy-air (http://qnews.com.au/article/welcome-ladyboy-air)
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fqnews.com.au%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fimagecache%2Farticle_image%2F290_Ladyboy.jpg&hash=3c0029104e1bf9bc48cbd828b2f5e6e5c948b4c4)
Transgendered Women or 'katoeys' of Thai Airline PC Air
Thai Airline PC Air has made headlines recently for being the worlds' first flight company to recruit transgender air hostesses.
The Company Director, Peter Chan, has called himself a pioneer for acceptance, hoping that other organisations will follow his idea and actively recruit transgendered people, giving them the opportunity to work in all fields. Chan told the Daily Telegraph last year: "I think these people can have many careers – not just in the entertainment business – and many of them have a dream to be an air hostess."
Just think of the plot complications this could cause for a show like "Pan Am."
I got a grin out of this line from the article, "The new recruits were chosen in February and have been training since in security measures, in-flight services, and make-up application." Congrats to the lady boys! :)
Flying the flag for ladyboys: Thai airline takes on transgender flight attendants
Boss of PC Air hires transgender cabin crew and says he wants Thailand to give more rights to 'members of the third sex'
Kate Hodal in Bangkok
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 17 January 2012 10.18 EST
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/17/pc-air-transgender-flight-attendants (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/17/pc-air-transgender-flight-attendants)
Her eyelashes, and her stockinged legs, are long enough to warrant a double-take from passengers on board. It may seem a form of harassment to others, but Thai flight attendant Punthakarn Sringern, 25, relishes the attention.
Sringern – or Mew, as she likes to be called – is one of four "ladyboys" working for PC Air, the first Thai airline to employ transgender people.
Finding work beyond the entertainment and cosmetic sectors is difficult for Thailand's "third sex", who are said to be more numerous here than anywhere else in the world – so this job, says Mew, is "a dream come true".