2007-12-11, Transexual Cabaret

In other countries, women usually take the lead in cabaret. But here in Thailand many feel they are just not the right gender¹ for the job.
In Thai society, women are usually very prim² and proper, this profession requires them to be outgoing, cheeky and brazen³ which is not proper for Thai women. "
Every night, in cabarets across Thailand, performers transform themselves in the most profound way imaginable - from men into women.
In Thailand, lady boys were dancers and entertainers long before cabaret caught on in the 1970s . But its enormous success has given them a special niche⁴, and allowed them to become more open in expressing themselves.
One has even turned stardom on the cabaret stage into / national celebrity⁵. The artist is known simply as "Dae". Dae is the author of 2 books, and though she s never had a sex-change operation she lives her life entirely⁶ as a woman, on stage and off. It s been a radical⁷ transformation⁸ from a young boy who yearned⁹ to entertain
I always loved to perform as a child singing or acting¹⁰ whenever there was a chance
At 17, Dae had to quit school to help support her family, working as a hairdresser she got in on the ground floor of the Blossoming Field of Cabaret.
"I had to slowly inject more and more of my personality and myself into the act so that I could stand out and be different. To insert too much of yourself might also turn people off but there is a balance
Dae's stardom has given her the latitude¹¹ to live the life she wants and even adopt/ two sons. In the west virtually everything about this man /(slash) woman would be taboo¹². So why is she accepted in Thailand?
Transgenderism isn't bound up in sinfulness the way it is in the west. Andrew Matzner is a lecturer at Hollands University. According to Christianity, homosexuality, cross-dressing, those are considered to be sinful, whereas according to Buddhism¹³, generally, transgenderism is / bound up in Karma. A person is born transgendered because of something they did wrong in a prior life
As a result, overt¹⁴ harassment¹⁵ is rare here. But that doesn't means most Thais approve/ of transgenderism. Even a celebrity like Dae, often feels that many are uncomfortable with her lifestyle.
"It is not words that bother me but looks, as if people are looking down on us ."
But concerns like these tend to disappear at cabaret. For Thailand's lady boys, it's a refuge.
"Once we are on the cabaret stage, people learn/ all and they are not laughing or feel disgusted like they may in other circumstances. Cabaret is not just a profession for us ; it is not just a livelihood¹⁶. It is something that sustains us. It is like the air that we breathe

1 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

2 prim   

adj.拘泥形式的，一本正经的；n.循规蹈矩，整洁；adv.循规蹈矩地，整洁地

参考例句：

• She's too prim to enjoy rude jokes!她太古板，不喜欢听粗野的笑话！
• He is prim and precise in manner.他的态度一本正经而严谨

3 brazen   

adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的

参考例句：

• The brazen woman laughed loudly at the judge who sentenced her.那无耻的女子冲着给她判刑的法官高声大笑。
• Some people prefer to brazen a thing out rather than admit defeat.有的人不愿承认失败，而是宁肯厚着脸皮干下去。

4 niche   

n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等)

参考例句：

• Madeleine placed it carefully in the rocky niche. 玛德琳小心翼翼地把它放在岩石壁龛里。
• The really talented among women would always make their own niche.妇女中真正有才能的人总是各得其所。

5 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

6 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

7 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

8 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

9 yearned   

渴望，切盼，向往( yearn的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The people yearned for peace. 人民渴望和平。
• She yearned to go back to the south. 她渴望回到南方去。

10 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

11 latitude   

n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区

参考例句：

• The latitude of the island is 20 degrees south.该岛的纬度是南纬20度。
• The two cities are at approximately the same latitude.这两个城市差不多位于同一纬度上。

12 taboo   

n.禁忌，禁止接近，禁止使用；adj.禁忌的；v.禁忌，禁制，禁止

参考例句：

• The rude words are taboo in ordinary conversation.这些粗野的字眼在日常谈话中是禁忌的。
• Is there a taboo against sex before marriage in your society?在你们的社会里，婚前的性行为犯禁吗？

13 Buddhism   

n.佛教（教义）

参考例句：

• Buddhism was introduced into China about 67 AD.佛教是在公元67年左右传入中国的。
• Many people willingly converted to Buddhism.很多人情愿皈依佛教。

14 overt   

adj.公开的，明显的，公然的

参考例句：

• His opponent's intention is quite overt.他的对手的意图很明显。
• We should learn to fight with enemy in an overt and covert way.我们应学会同敌人做公开和隐蔽的斗争。

15 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

16 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。