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A while ago there was a post of a photo of two TG flight attendents - it was speculated that one of them was an lb.
Well, here is a story from Bangkok Post Outlook dated March 25/08 with a real lb flight attendant - not with TG though.
Up in the air as a woman
Here are some photos of her, 1 before and 2 after.
Interesting her comments about not being able to work for an international airline because of her passport.
Well, here is a story from Bangkok Post Outlook dated March 25/08 with a real lb flight attendant - not with TG though.
Up in the air as a woman
Up in the air as a woman
A transsexual, physically a woman but legally a man, opens her female heart
Story by KRITTIYA WONGTAVAVIMARN Main photo by YINGYONG UN-ANONGRAK
While a young boy riding on the back of a buffalo plodding through muddy rice fields in Lampang province, Kiranunt Suwannasingha looked up at the aeroplane flying among the fluffy clouds in the sky. "I was wondering what the giant metal bird was doing up there. And I wished I could ride on it some day," Kiranunt recalled.
Today, Kiranunt flies across the country almost every single day on board an aircraft, taking care of the safety, welfare and comfort of the passengers. Well-known among fellow cabin crew members as "Nicky", Kiranunt enjoys walking up and down the aisle with baskets of snacks for passengers who are unaware that this flight attendant, wearing make-up and in a full air stewardess's uniform, was not born a woman.
Being born a man didn't stop Kiranunt from being a flight attendant - her dream job of a lifetime - and from being a woman - her dream life. To realise her dreams however, this male-to-female transsexual had to travel a hard route with lots of ups and downs as she struggled through life: An unfortunate life of poverty, loneliness, loss and confusion, and most significantly, striving to become a "real" woman.
Kiranunt reveals her shattering secrets and shares her joy and tears in her three-volume autobiography: Pom Pen Air Hostess Krab (He's an Air Hostess), which tells of Kiranunt's childhood and how she became a man in a female air hostess uniform; Nam Ta Nang Fa (Tears of an Angel), which reveals her life as a "secret" wife and her struggle with unrequited love; and I Am the Ladyboy, which she wrote in English together with four ladyboy chums.
Through thick and thin, Kiranunt took life head-on with great inner grit, courage, diligence and determination. Since childhood, she has never thought that her "woman's soul trapped in a man's body" was a sin. Rather, it was a "special gift" that gave her the confidence and will power to overcome many obstacles in her life.
Born into poor farmer family with six siblings, the young Kiranunt worked part-time in her daily struggle for survival. She peddled everything she could think of, from snacks to garlands and toys salvaged from rubbish dumps, and saved her money in a little matchbox. When she finished Mathayom 3, she had to make a choice - whether to help her parents raise buffalos for the rest of her life or strike out on her own and strive to make a difference in life. And the then 15-year-old chose the latter.
"I always felt I was a big fish in a small pond, unconcerned about the ongoing events that occurred outside my little world. So, at life's crossroads, I chose to get ahead," Kiranunt recalled. "There's nothing wrong with being a farmer. But I aspired to do something better to support myself and my parents. I had just got my first ID card, and I thought I was a grown-up. I could save enough money for the bus to Bangkok, and I wanted to see the world. So I packed and left, without knowing what was waiting for me out there."
With support from her older sister, Kiranunt was able to work full-time at a small pawnshop in Bangkok. She did all the menial work from cleaning the shop to feeding staff and carrying the pawned items.
"It was hard and heavy work since I had to carry everything from irons to television sets and refrigerators!" she laughed.
After a year, she had managed to save enough money to continue her studies. Every day after work, she went to evening classes at Samsen Witthayalai School and finished the course two years later.
Kiranunt's life took an unexpected turn when she accidentally met a generous man in a barbershop who offered her a job in his tour company. Later, the middle-aged man became her boss and adopted father. Kiranunt loves and respects him. He also supported Kiranunt to continue her undergraduate education at Chandrakasem Rajabhat University, where she received a bachelor's degree in hotel and travel industry management.
"I feel all warm inside whenever I call him Daddy. He wanted me to study as much as I could and use my knowledge to improve the company. He also moulded me into a caring and service-minded person. It was almost impossible to meet such a person and receive such an opportunity in life. If I hadn't met him, I wouldn't have become the person I am today. It must be destiny, I believe," she said.
And it was fate that brought her into the airline industry. While studying in college and working part-time as a tour guide, Kiranunt accepted the position of temporary cabin crew staff at One-Two-Go Airlines, where she worked until she graduated in 1996. She then applied for a full-time position at PB Air. After passing an intensive selection process, Kiranunt finally became one of the 12 cabin attendants selected from over 3,000 applicants.
After more than two years in the job, she still finds that being a flight attendant is a hugely exciting and challenging job that has taught her to be a person with a positive and caring attitude and to be service-minded. "I know I have found the right career," said Kiranunt.
On many flights, she learned to be decisive when unexpected problems arose, she said.
"Every flight brings a new situation and experience. Once, the visibility was poor as it was raining and the pilot attempted to land the plane. It lost balance and slid into the grass field before stopping. I knew the situation was safe, but the scene on the plane was so chaotic - passengers were yelling and screaming. So I tried to calm them down by talking to them, regaling them with jokes and asking them to take group photos together since this sort of accident happened once in a while," she laughed. "And it worked!"
The desire to become a woman physically came after she had quit her job at PB Air and returned, once again, to a tour guide position at her adopted father's company. "I always knew that inside I was 100 per cent woman but, as an air steward, I could never be myself. I didn't want to act masculine in everyday life. I felt so discouraged and lost," she recalled. In a moment of weakness, Kiranunt faced the difficult choice between her dream job - being a flight attendant - and her dream life - being a woman. And she chose both.
A few months later, Kiranunt re-applied to PB Air and became more woman-like, with a higher degree of femininity both in and outside her body. With a fresh and healthy complexion, a pretty face and a sweet voice, many passengers ironically thought she was a tomboy, she said. Comments from several passengers asking why Kiranunt, who obviously appeared to be a woman, had to wear a male steward's uniform were sent to the airline's management. Later, Kiranunt received special permission from management to wear a stewardess's uniform and act as if she were a real woman.
Yet Kiranunt was unhappy. Spurred by a strong desire to become fully female, she consulted a doctor at the Institute of Aviation Medicine at the RTAF's Directorate of Medical Services, and eventually received an official approval letter stating that gender reassignment surgery would not affect her ability to perform in-flight service duties, and so she was allowed to have the operation. A week later, on December 31, 2005, when most people were celebrating New Year's Eve, Kiranunt underwent breast implant and gender reassignment surgery. The following day, the first day of 2006, Kiranunt was reborn as a woman.
Still, adapting to the life of a physically real woman - with breasts and a vagina - was no easy task, she admitted.
"After the surgery, I was required to wear medical-grade dildos three times a day, three hours each time, for months, to maintain and extend vaginal depth until I was completely healed. I bled and suffered sharp pains for months. But it was really worth it. Physically and mentally, I am now a woman," she smiled.
She knew that she would face disagreement from her adopted father, who didn't want his child to do two things in life: Having tattoos and a sex change. So, in order to have the time for the operation, she lied to him that she was flying up-country and chose to keep her lonely hospital stay a secret. She could tolerate the pain, "but it was too painful to tell the one you most love and trust that you had lied to him', she said.
"The real moment of truth had yet to come. When I saw him enter my ward for the first time, I cried and couldn't say anything except 'Sorry, Dad.' The lie must have surely broken his heart, as it did mine. But he didn't scold me or say anything except 'It's okay,' and 'You are really beautiful.' I laughed. He laughed. I cried. He cried. It was indeed the best moment of my life, to know that there's someone who really loves me and accepts me the way I am," she recalls.
Even though they are of different blood, Kiranunt and her adopted father share a special warm and loving bond, she said. Today, she has completely healed from the surgery. But the wound in her heart hasn't. To express her love and care for, and as an apology to her adopted father, Kiranunt is now working on her fourth book, Por Krub Phom Yoo Nee (Daddy, I'm Here). The book shares her joy and grief as a son with a feminine spirit, and provides educational information on transsexual and transgender issues.
"Nowadays, I'm still my adopted father's little son. If I don't behave, he always says he will take out my silicone or cut my hair when I am asleep," she laughed. "He really understands me and has never been mad at me even though he might be hurt. And I wish that such understanding, acceptance and support will be present in every child's life. Whether that child is straight, gay, bisexual, transsexual or transgender, he needs love, attention and encouragement to survive," she said.
In the time since the operation, Kiranunt has been living a happy life as a woman, she said. She doesn't hide her status from her family, friends or lovers, and she is well-accepted by colleagues and passengers. Labelled as "Mr" on her ID card, however, she is shut out from many opportunities and is disqualified from working as a flight attendant in an international airline, all because she's a transsexual.
"No matter how hard I try, I can't go any further. I'm always disqualified. Many times I got into the final rounds and even got the airlines' stewardess uniforms. But my dreams were then broken because I am 'Mr', not 'Miss'," she said. "If I were a real man, I would have become more successful than where I am today. However, I just can't betray myself, my own feelings."
Shattered dreams have inspired Kiranunt to be at the forefront of the transgender rights movement. She has embarked on the talk show circuit to tell her story and educate people about concerns regarding the status of gender equality. She wishes that every transsexual could legally change his or her identification card, which would be a genuine move recognising the change in sexuality.
"I don't want to feel like an amphibian. I want my female status to be protected by law, to be sure that our rights are truly protected, and that all of us are treated as equals. If we had this assurance, life would surely be a lot easier," she said.
"I always believe that, with guts and grit, a person can overcome anything. So, I am hoping for the best. I never feel that I have an extra scar, or that I am an 'artificial' woman. I can definitely be a good air hostess, wife and mother," she said.
A transsexual, physically a woman but legally a man, opens her female heart
Story by KRITTIYA WONGTAVAVIMARN Main photo by YINGYONG UN-ANONGRAK
While a young boy riding on the back of a buffalo plodding through muddy rice fields in Lampang province, Kiranunt Suwannasingha looked up at the aeroplane flying among the fluffy clouds in the sky. "I was wondering what the giant metal bird was doing up there. And I wished I could ride on it some day," Kiranunt recalled.
Today, Kiranunt flies across the country almost every single day on board an aircraft, taking care of the safety, welfare and comfort of the passengers. Well-known among fellow cabin crew members as "Nicky", Kiranunt enjoys walking up and down the aisle with baskets of snacks for passengers who are unaware that this flight attendant, wearing make-up and in a full air stewardess's uniform, was not born a woman.
Being born a man didn't stop Kiranunt from being a flight attendant - her dream job of a lifetime - and from being a woman - her dream life. To realise her dreams however, this male-to-female transsexual had to travel a hard route with lots of ups and downs as she struggled through life: An unfortunate life of poverty, loneliness, loss and confusion, and most significantly, striving to become a "real" woman.
Kiranunt reveals her shattering secrets and shares her joy and tears in her three-volume autobiography: Pom Pen Air Hostess Krab (He's an Air Hostess), which tells of Kiranunt's childhood and how she became a man in a female air hostess uniform; Nam Ta Nang Fa (Tears of an Angel), which reveals her life as a "secret" wife and her struggle with unrequited love; and I Am the Ladyboy, which she wrote in English together with four ladyboy chums.
Through thick and thin, Kiranunt took life head-on with great inner grit, courage, diligence and determination. Since childhood, she has never thought that her "woman's soul trapped in a man's body" was a sin. Rather, it was a "special gift" that gave her the confidence and will power to overcome many obstacles in her life.
Born into poor farmer family with six siblings, the young Kiranunt worked part-time in her daily struggle for survival. She peddled everything she could think of, from snacks to garlands and toys salvaged from rubbish dumps, and saved her money in a little matchbox. When she finished Mathayom 3, she had to make a choice - whether to help her parents raise buffalos for the rest of her life or strike out on her own and strive to make a difference in life. And the then 15-year-old chose the latter.
"I always felt I was a big fish in a small pond, unconcerned about the ongoing events that occurred outside my little world. So, at life's crossroads, I chose to get ahead," Kiranunt recalled. "There's nothing wrong with being a farmer. But I aspired to do something better to support myself and my parents. I had just got my first ID card, and I thought I was a grown-up. I could save enough money for the bus to Bangkok, and I wanted to see the world. So I packed and left, without knowing what was waiting for me out there."
With support from her older sister, Kiranunt was able to work full-time at a small pawnshop in Bangkok. She did all the menial work from cleaning the shop to feeding staff and carrying the pawned items.
"It was hard and heavy work since I had to carry everything from irons to television sets and refrigerators!" she laughed.
After a year, she had managed to save enough money to continue her studies. Every day after work, she went to evening classes at Samsen Witthayalai School and finished the course two years later.
Kiranunt's life took an unexpected turn when she accidentally met a generous man in a barbershop who offered her a job in his tour company. Later, the middle-aged man became her boss and adopted father. Kiranunt loves and respects him. He also supported Kiranunt to continue her undergraduate education at Chandrakasem Rajabhat University, where she received a bachelor's degree in hotel and travel industry management.
"I feel all warm inside whenever I call him Daddy. He wanted me to study as much as I could and use my knowledge to improve the company. He also moulded me into a caring and service-minded person. It was almost impossible to meet such a person and receive such an opportunity in life. If I hadn't met him, I wouldn't have become the person I am today. It must be destiny, I believe," she said.
And it was fate that brought her into the airline industry. While studying in college and working part-time as a tour guide, Kiranunt accepted the position of temporary cabin crew staff at One-Two-Go Airlines, where she worked until she graduated in 1996. She then applied for a full-time position at PB Air. After passing an intensive selection process, Kiranunt finally became one of the 12 cabin attendants selected from over 3,000 applicants.
After more than two years in the job, she still finds that being a flight attendant is a hugely exciting and challenging job that has taught her to be a person with a positive and caring attitude and to be service-minded. "I know I have found the right career," said Kiranunt.
On many flights, she learned to be decisive when unexpected problems arose, she said.
"Every flight brings a new situation and experience. Once, the visibility was poor as it was raining and the pilot attempted to land the plane. It lost balance and slid into the grass field before stopping. I knew the situation was safe, but the scene on the plane was so chaotic - passengers were yelling and screaming. So I tried to calm them down by talking to them, regaling them with jokes and asking them to take group photos together since this sort of accident happened once in a while," she laughed. "And it worked!"
The desire to become a woman physically came after she had quit her job at PB Air and returned, once again, to a tour guide position at her adopted father's company. "I always knew that inside I was 100 per cent woman but, as an air steward, I could never be myself. I didn't want to act masculine in everyday life. I felt so discouraged and lost," she recalled. In a moment of weakness, Kiranunt faced the difficult choice between her dream job - being a flight attendant - and her dream life - being a woman. And she chose both.
A few months later, Kiranunt re-applied to PB Air and became more woman-like, with a higher degree of femininity both in and outside her body. With a fresh and healthy complexion, a pretty face and a sweet voice, many passengers ironically thought she was a tomboy, she said. Comments from several passengers asking why Kiranunt, who obviously appeared to be a woman, had to wear a male steward's uniform were sent to the airline's management. Later, Kiranunt received special permission from management to wear a stewardess's uniform and act as if she were a real woman.
Yet Kiranunt was unhappy. Spurred by a strong desire to become fully female, she consulted a doctor at the Institute of Aviation Medicine at the RTAF's Directorate of Medical Services, and eventually received an official approval letter stating that gender reassignment surgery would not affect her ability to perform in-flight service duties, and so she was allowed to have the operation. A week later, on December 31, 2005, when most people were celebrating New Year's Eve, Kiranunt underwent breast implant and gender reassignment surgery. The following day, the first day of 2006, Kiranunt was reborn as a woman.
Still, adapting to the life of a physically real woman - with breasts and a vagina - was no easy task, she admitted.
"After the surgery, I was required to wear medical-grade dildos three times a day, three hours each time, for months, to maintain and extend vaginal depth until I was completely healed. I bled and suffered sharp pains for months. But it was really worth it. Physically and mentally, I am now a woman," she smiled.
She knew that she would face disagreement from her adopted father, who didn't want his child to do two things in life: Having tattoos and a sex change. So, in order to have the time for the operation, she lied to him that she was flying up-country and chose to keep her lonely hospital stay a secret. She could tolerate the pain, "but it was too painful to tell the one you most love and trust that you had lied to him', she said.
"The real moment of truth had yet to come. When I saw him enter my ward for the first time, I cried and couldn't say anything except 'Sorry, Dad.' The lie must have surely broken his heart, as it did mine. But he didn't scold me or say anything except 'It's okay,' and 'You are really beautiful.' I laughed. He laughed. I cried. He cried. It was indeed the best moment of my life, to know that there's someone who really loves me and accepts me the way I am," she recalls.
Even though they are of different blood, Kiranunt and her adopted father share a special warm and loving bond, she said. Today, she has completely healed from the surgery. But the wound in her heart hasn't. To express her love and care for, and as an apology to her adopted father, Kiranunt is now working on her fourth book, Por Krub Phom Yoo Nee (Daddy, I'm Here). The book shares her joy and grief as a son with a feminine spirit, and provides educational information on transsexual and transgender issues.
"Nowadays, I'm still my adopted father's little son. If I don't behave, he always says he will take out my silicone or cut my hair when I am asleep," she laughed. "He really understands me and has never been mad at me even though he might be hurt. And I wish that such understanding, acceptance and support will be present in every child's life. Whether that child is straight, gay, bisexual, transsexual or transgender, he needs love, attention and encouragement to survive," she said.
In the time since the operation, Kiranunt has been living a happy life as a woman, she said. She doesn't hide her status from her family, friends or lovers, and she is well-accepted by colleagues and passengers. Labelled as "Mr" on her ID card, however, she is shut out from many opportunities and is disqualified from working as a flight attendant in an international airline, all because she's a transsexual.
"No matter how hard I try, I can't go any further. I'm always disqualified. Many times I got into the final rounds and even got the airlines' stewardess uniforms. But my dreams were then broken because I am 'Mr', not 'Miss'," she said. "If I were a real man, I would have become more successful than where I am today. However, I just can't betray myself, my own feelings."
Shattered dreams have inspired Kiranunt to be at the forefront of the transgender rights movement. She has embarked on the talk show circuit to tell her story and educate people about concerns regarding the status of gender equality. She wishes that every transsexual could legally change his or her identification card, which would be a genuine move recognising the change in sexuality.
"I don't want to feel like an amphibian. I want my female status to be protected by law, to be sure that our rights are truly protected, and that all of us are treated as equals. If we had this assurance, life would surely be a lot easier," she said.
"I always believe that, with guts and grit, a person can overcome anything. So, I am hoping for the best. I never feel that I have an extra scar, or that I am an 'artificial' woman. I can definitely be a good air hostess, wife and mother," she said.
Interesting her comments about not being able to work for an international airline because of her passport.
x
Now how would You find a cute LB flight attendant in the States?
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