Thailand launches anti-castration campaign

Mar 28, 2008, 2:26 GMT

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.'