Laotian LGBTQI youth find peace, purpose and community

VIENTIANE, Lao People ’s Democratic Republic – Growing up, Bill didn ’t have anywhere to go to about the confusion she felt about her gender identity. In secondary school, classmates used to taunt her feminine mannerisms, calling her “sissy” and “kathoey” (“ladyboy”). “People could see who I was, but not many of them understand and accept that this is our reality, and it is normal to be different,” said Bill, a 27-year-old transgender woman. “I had to hide myself from the public and avoid talking about my gender identity with everyone, even my family.”
Source: UNFPA News - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Source Type: news