Transexual triumphs over gender adversity
Written by Nguon Sovan
Thursday, 25 September 2008
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2008092521828/Post-Life/Transexual-triumphs-over-gender-adversity.html (http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2008092521828/Post-Life/Transexual-triumphs-over-gender-adversity.html)
From an early age Leang Sothea knew she was different, but since having a sex-change operation in 2006 she hasn't looked back
Leang Sothea, who is better known as 'Popi', is one of the Kingdom's few transsexuals and has become a popular fixture in Cambodian cinema.
BASED on the prediction of the midwife, Leang Sothea's mother's was certain the child would be a girl. Before she gave birth, she even started sewing girl's clothing for her new baby.
Leang Sothea was not born a girl, but the midwife wasn't exactly wrong either.
Feeling like a woman combined with the heartbreak of unrequited love prompted 26-year-old Leang Sothea, professionally known as "Popi", to undergo a sex-change operation in 2006, becoming one of the few transsexuals in Cambodia.