A Study of the Process of Mother’s Acceptance of Gender and Sexuality with Their Children: In Case Study 5 Mothers of Kathoey in Chiang Mai

Abstract

The objectives of this study were 1) to study the process of gender and sexuality acceptance after the mother recognized the child as being Kathoey and 2) To study the feeling management of mothers after recognizing that their children are Kathoey. This study used ethnographic research methodology that used in-depth interview methods. The target group was 5 mothers with Kathoey children from the specific selection in Chiang Mai. The results of the first study found that mothers with Kathoey children had a process of accepting their children’s gender and sexuality by accumulating awareness of their children’s gender status and sexuality from childhood by observing their children’s behavior. along with the character, behavior,ability, and success of the child in a good way and grow up to be a good person in society. The mothers can therefore overlook and accept their child’s sexuality. 2)The mothers can deal with negative feelings by “making up her mind” which means negative feelings and then the process of managing feelings leads to positive feelings by observing their child’s behavior from an early age. It is a reason to support the process of reconciliation by disregarding the child’s gender and sexual orientation.

Keywords

• mother of kathoey
• motherhood
• gender
• sexuality