Popular Culture Review Vol. 17, No. 2, Summer 2006 | Page 36

32 Popular Culture Review Moreover, the plethora of names associated with kathoey>and kathoeyness in popular Thai culture reflects an ‘‘occupation of a range of gender-spaces, extending from non-male through a blend of male and female, to a subset of female or even a third sex/gender'' (Winter 2003), all of which are not found in western vocabularies. This alone makes an exploration of kathoey both a difficult and insightful venture. Kathoey can be found in many areas of Thai society, including professional workers, entertainers, models, hairdressers, shop vendors, and sex workers (Winter 2003b). Reports differ to the number of kathoey living in Thailand. Estimates range from ten thousand (Ehrlich 1996), to three hundred thousand (Winter 2002). Even if we take the lesser figure to be an accurate estimate, it represents a higher ratio of transgendered people living in Thailand than in many parts of the world (Kesteren et al 1996; Francoeur 1997). In Bangkok, kathoey