the third sex

A friend was asking me the other day if I knew of any lesbian ladyboys. The real thing, he said, not those acting for the benefit of punters. “After all,” he said. “Ladyboys are gays who have taken their feminine side just that bit further. Put two gays into a room, and they are probably going to have sex together. Same thing with ladyboys, surely?”

I pointed out to him that ladyboys are young males who feel happier and more natural living as women. That means they are attracted to men. Not to other ladyboys.

I added that in all the time I have been following the Thai ladyboy scene, I have known only one “lesbian” relationship, and even that was more hearsay than known fact. It was, in fact, a couple I knew down in the South of Thailand. And I would have classified them as two effeminate gays, rather than two ladyboys – although one had silicon boobs.

Ladyboys consider themselves to be female, I pointed out. They would no more think of having lesbian sex than would genetic girls. Possibly even less, I added after a moment’s thought.

I remembered the times I have been privy to ladyboys getting changed together: in my home, in ladyboy apartments, in the backstage area of cabaret shows, in the go-go bars. Any malarkey has always been just joking around. And – I have to admit that I notice these things – I have never known a ladyboy to become erect at the sight of her companions during a changing-room session.

This brought me onto another thought, about the way in which a group of ordinary male youngsters starts to feel towards one of their number who decides to become a ladyboy. In the past I have asked about this, but seldom got a satisfactory response.

I remember asking one young ladyboy if her male friends had become interested in her when she started to put on girl’s clothing and makeup. “No,” she said. “They knew me when I was a boy.” She did however say that other boys, friends of friends, began to take an interest, and that she had had a few steady relationships that way. I asked her if gays found her attractive.

“Sometimes,” she said. “But usually gay only interested in man. Gay like talk with ladyboy, but not sex. Many Thai guy can go with man or lady, not hundred percent one way or other way. So also like ladyboy, same girl. Better, sometimes, because easy sex. Ladyboy will always have sex. Not same girls. But Thai guy no respect for ladyboy. Have sex, then go away, forget.”

Ladyboys do however enjoy the prospect of watching two men have sex. Sometimes, when I’m taking photos and the model is having difficulty turning herself on, she will delve into her handbag and pull out her mobile. There will be porn clips stored there, and watching one of those will quickly do the job for her.

I stand there listening to the squawks and thumps coming from the mobile’s speaker, and wonder to myself if there could be anything less erotic. But then again, who am I to judge? I find a girl with a cock to be my own particular turn-on. Maybe it’s me who is the weird one.