Is Thailand really tolerant towards ladyboys?

Just yesterday I read an article in the Bangkok Post about the Thai army's view on ladyboys. Ladyboys are ususally exempted from service. According to an army general during every annual draft a ladyboy, or katoey, is considered as a person suffering from a "permanent mental disorder" and therefore does not have to do the one-year army service.

After many protests against this definition katoeys now have to show up at three consecutive drafts. If they always appear as ladyboys, they will also be exempted from service. And here comes the great news. Ladyboy shall now be defined as "people with illnesses that cannot be cured within 30 days".

Wow! Now that's a big step ahead! According to the article it was a hard decision-making process for all army people involved to come up with this new definition… Is Thailand really as tolerant towards katoey as many people believe?

Links of Interest:

• Truth Revealed: Ladyboys are ill
• Phuket ladyboys are in demand