Bangkok - Responding to a growing fad of young transvestites
getting cheap castrations, Thailand's Medical Council has issued a
warning that such operations are dangerous and may not guarantee a
more feminine appearance, media reports said Friday.
Natee Theerarojjanaphon, a well-known gay activist, alerted the
Medical Council to the rise in castrations, citing one case of a
16-year-old boy in Chiang Mai who had recently undergone the
operation in the hopes that losing his testicles would improve his
feminine complexion.
The Medical Council on Thursday issued a warning that clinics
performing castrations on boys under the age of 18 were breaking the
law, if there is no parental approval, and practitioners could lose
their license and have their clinics closed down for a year.
It also warned that castration would not necessarily enhance ones
femininity.
'There is no medical or scientific evidence that removing a boy's
testicles can change his sexual appearance and complexion,' warned
Doctor Suphachai Kunaratanapruk, chief of the Public Health
Ministry's department of health service support.
Natee believes the castration craze has been prompted by
widespread advertisements for the operation on the internet.
While complete sex-change operations are popular in Thailand, they
are expensive and require a long period of phycological and physical
preparation. Clinics are offering castrations at 5,000 baht (159
dollars) a chop.
'It is not easy to be like a woman,' said Suphachai. 'You have to
consult with your parents and psychiatrist for a long time, and of
course, you have to make sure your really want to be a woman and
change your life forever.'
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