Why trans women opt for gender confirmation surgery in Thailand whatever the cost, when procedures can be much cheaper, or free, at home
- In Bangkok, Thai surgeons offer a level of world-class service lacking in Western healthcare systems, but which comes with a correspondingly hefty price tag
As Amy (not her real name) walks toward the immigration hall in Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, she is visibly nervous. The long glass corridors, rows of fluorescent lights reflecting off plastic face shields, and sound of crinkling protective suits make her feel like she’s entered a science-fiction film.
She is presented with a small number tag and guided toward neatly spaced plastic seats where she waits for her documents to be inspected. The airport is almost completely empty.
Like an object on a conveyor belt, she has already passed through four airport checkpoints – each time she scrutinises the memory of her own documentation for one typo, one incorrectly filled form. When an immigration officer finally stamps her passport, she feels a cold wave of relief.
It is July 3, 2021, and there are reports of 6,230 new cases of Covid-19 in Thailand that day. But Amy’s anxiety is not the result of an 18-hour flight in the middle of a pandemic to a country she has never visited before. Being denied entry would create yet another stumbling block to what has already felt like a never-ending process.
She is here to receive gender confirmation surgery (GCS), a procedure she has been dreaming about since childhood and for which she has been planning for six years.
Since the first operation in 1975, Thailand has gained a reputation as the global expert in this niche field, but what is driving this industry goes well beyond the comparatively low cost of care. Over a period of six months, I spoke to a group of trans women to better understand why many would rather fly halfway across the world than receive GCS at home.
