Transvestite Kick Boxer, 16 Admired in Thailand

“He’s our Lady Boy!” shrieked fans of Muay Thai (Thailand’s term for kickboxing) as 16-year old Parinya Kiatbusaba won yet another major fight Wednesday at Bangkok’s Lumpini Stadium.

The feminine male, breathless, sported painted nails under his gloves. He says he doesn’t relish fighting handsome men, although he has no fear of being struck in the face himself.

Parinya was quoted in the Nation daily, saying “I had a big fight today and proved I can do it like a man, even though my feelings deep inside are very feminine.”

The youthful welterweight, who sports make-up and red-tinted locks, has become a national hero, having won, during a two year stretch, as many as 22 matches of which 18 were knockouts. His losses? Two.

Modesty about being nude in front of kickboxing officials (who are members of the Thai military) compliment Parinya’s more aggressive traits. When asked, during weigh-ins, to disrobe in front of the officials and the media, he wept. His make-up ran. But he earned the right, thereafter, to hide his genitalia, continuing to wear his jockey shorts as he mounted the scale.

Thailand, mostly a Buddhist nation, accepts transvestitesâ??katoeysâ??regarding them as a kind of third sex. Other kickboxing figuresâ?? roughnecks who are often reared in rural locales or in the poorer neighborhoods surrounding Bangkokâ??have welcomed Parinya to the popular sport.

“I’ll fight till I get bored with it,” promises the teen-aged martial arts expert. In the meantime, he says, he’s saving his money to pay for plastic surgery to enhance his appearance, of which he is proud.

“I would like to warn my opponent not to get distracted by my eyes or my smile, because this smile has knocked 18 boxers out,” he said.

Spectators cheered uncontrollably as Parinyaâ??during five roundsâ??scored winning points over his opponent. He swished across the ring to kiss the bloodied, unhappy contestant he’d vanquished. The prize money for this latest of his successful fights amounted (in baht) to a U.S. equivalent of $900 dollars.

“Parinya, the Lady Boy, uses his body like a man. He fights like a real man,” sighed an awestruck spectator.

By Corine Hicks

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