The project was undertaken during Angkor Photo Workshop in 2009. Before arriving in Siem Reap for the workshop, I spent a night in Bangkok, where I noticed a group of transsexuals. The locals call them Kathel or Kathoey.

On the streets of Siem Reap I met Arina, who feels like a female within. She has a family – father, mother and two younger brothers. The society says that if you are the eldest child, then you have to take up the responsibility of your family, no matter what profession. To fulfill their duties, many like Arina, become sex workers. They earn well and live in rented apartments with basic amenities. Month’s end Arina sends money to her family. When she feels lonely and misses her own brothers, she plays with the neighbourhood children and feeds them with her own hands.

Iwan, Marina and Pov stay together in a big room with a shared bath and kitchen. Not just the bath and kitchen, they share their feelings and everyday life. Iwan and Pov are Kathoeys but Marina is normal. Marina is Iwan’s sister. She sings in a bar. Marina is attractive but Iwan will protect her from becoming a sex worker till she is alive. Pov lost her parents at the age of 14 and came to city to find a new job. Now she is a sex worker and Iwan and Marina are her family. Till her marriage, she will stay with them. Her boyfriend Lee works in a hotel and he is a good cook.

On the other side Tee, Plain and Annie live together. Tee and Plain are sisters. Tee is a Kathoey and Plain is normal. All come from the same village and are professional sex workers. Tee and Plain have a collaboration. If Tee is unable to entertain a customer because she is a transsexual, she offers him to her sister. I met them in a bar one night. Next day, they showed me their rooms. During the day, they cook, chat, worship their gods and sleep. In the evening they dress up for work.

Maqi came up to me when I was shooting. She proposed to pose without clothes for 10 dollars, but no boom boom (sex).It was amazing to meet people who have no personal fears. They don’t bother if the customer is old or young. Rather they like older men because they receive promt payments and sometimes older men are so drunk, that they don’t have to work much.
I returned from Siem Reap with new thoughts. My stereotypes were challenged. Had I misjudged them? And did I leave them with anything or was my act of photographing simply using them like so many before?