Gendered Ambivalence
39
revenge by reminding him of karmic law. As one friend mentions “we were bom
with bad karma from the last life, do not make more bad karma in this one”
(Kaewprasert 2005:7). As discussed earlier, Thai Buddhism holds that being
bom a kathoey is a consequence of accumulating bad karma from previous lives.
Nevertheless, kathoey are to be treated with compassion since their present
condition is “karmically natural” (Kaewprasert 2005) and allows them to gain
spiritual merit. The twist in the movie comes via Boontemi being dissatisfied
with his wife while desiring Somnuk. By the end of the movie, Boonterm
becomes a monk, having escaped Somnuk’s revenge. The movie interplays the
themes
of
“heterosexuality/homosexuality/,
celibacy/libidinous,
priesthood/fotf/joey” (Kaewprasert 2005:8). Boonterm’s “priesthood at the end
of the film can be read as a leap into another world, outside the queer narratives
and the regime of confusion” (Kaewprasert 2005:8). Here, becoming a monk is
an acceptable social outcome rather than entering into the liminal world of
kathoey.
Concluding Remarks
While many kathoey have been able to enter into mainstream Thai
society, they are often victimised by discrimination. The recent AIDS
phenomenon which affected Thailand in the 1980s and 1990s further
marginalised kathoey and gays, who were blamed for the epidemic. Moreover,
some Thai revisionists have considered kathoey as besmirching the image of
Thailand, and have c