Busting stereotypes
Trans beauty queen Jiratchaya ‘Mo’ Sirimongkolnawin has social change on her agenda
With her height and the aura of a star, it’s hard to miss beauty queen and model Jiratchaya “Mo” Sirimongkolnawin, even in a crowded room.
It’s been a year since Jiratchaya, 26, took home the crown of the famed transgender beauty pageant Miss Tiffany’s Universe. Earlier in March, she was also crowned Miss International Queen — the world’s largest beauty pageant for transgender women — besting contestants from around the globe.
As one of the famous faces among Thai transgender beauties, Jiratchaya was recently chosen as an ambassador for the I For TG Women programme — Thailand’s official transgender women’shealth intervention initiative, supported by the Thai Red Cross Society and the Italian Red Cross.
The project aims to increase awareness and understanding of transgender health by providing access to crucial information such as hormone replacement therapy, sex-reassignment surgery, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV prevention by medical practitioners and trained staff.
The I For TG Women programme hopes to aid new generations of transwomen in better caring for themselves. Aside from providing clear information on its website, free consultations are available via Line, Facebook, email and hotline.
Being able to access such information is vital, said Jiratchaya. Before the rise of social media, the model said knowledge was not as readily available as it is today. Generations of transgender women have relied on those who came before them, “the older sisters” as she put it, for advice and opinion on lifestyle and even healthcare. Some of the information being passed on can be assumption, mistaken belief or old advice urgently in need of an update.
“I was in that system before, too, listening to older transgender women for advice. And back then, people did look down on transgender people. Nobody knew how to act, or even how to be with their family and live in society,” said Jiratchaya. “I wish we had something like this programme back then. Perhaps things would’ve been much easier — there would be professional helpers who understand what transgender women have to go through.”
Jiratchaya went on to share her childhood journey — a battle between gender identity and the quest to win her family’s acceptance. She led a double life. In front of friends, she wasn’t afraid to be who she was. At home was a different story before she came out. Her female clothes were hidden. Then, she was a boy, a brother, and a son to her family members.
“In those early days, my family wasn’t so accepting. I didn’t even have the confidence to be at home,” she recalled.
As Jiratchaya grew older, her parents and older brother were able to finally come to terms with her sexuality. It was her father who paid her registration fee to enter the beauty pageant that she later won the crown from.
“My father was really proud of me when I got the crown, even showing me off to his friends,” Jiratchaya said with a smile.
Jiratchaya acknowledges that being transgender means a person has to work harder for accomplishments.
“For others, they just need to graduate, buy a car, a house, or pay off their parents’ debt. For us transgender, we have to go further. It’s like we give 500% to get the 100% outcome others are getting. And we have to go above and beyond for society — even the whole country — so they welcome us.”
Still, Jiratchaya said she’s not pressured or feels that it’s unfair that transgender people need to work harder just to be accepted.
“Those who work harder also gain more in return,” she told us of the principle she lives by.
But hard work also requires the right time and place, as well as chance opportunities to get you places. Looking back on the previous year, Jiratchaya recalled she had a chance to appear on an advertisement for L’Oreal alongside the likes of actress Araya Hargate and Miss Universe Thailand 2015 Aniporn Chalermburanawong. That commercial was perhaps the only major work Jiratchaya had in an entire year. The model aspires to find her place in showbiz. But even with two glistening crowns in her possession, the road isn’t easy to travel for this beauty queen.
“No one really wants a katoey as a leading lady,” Jiratchaya said quite matter-of-factly.
It’s been known that most lakorn on Thai television rarely feature transgender women in the lead. They’re mostly reduced to just being funny supporting characters. One exception, of course, is Workpoint Channel’s Nang Khaen ( The Scarlet Night)
— a recent drama-thriller about cabaret showgirls starring
transgender superstar Treechada “Poyd” Malayaporn as leading lady. The show was a rare treat.
“It’s hurtful that they would only want us as a clown when we have so much more to offer,” she said. While she knows they can be good opportunities, she can’t bring herself to accept roles that reduce her to just being a mindless, flamboyant fool.
“I’m the country’s winner — one of the most beautiful transgender women in the country, even the world. I’m not going to believe this is all there is for me to do or to be. It just doesn’t seem right.”
For now, Jiratchaya settles with appearing at social events and commuting back and forth between Bangkok and Pattaya. She also makes regular appearances at the Tiffany’s Theatre in her Moulin Rouge- esque performance, dancing to Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend.
Jiratchaya is also looking forward to the return of Miss Tiffany’s Universe, the place it all began for her. Next month, the renowned transgender beauty pageant is set to return for its 20th anniversary edition, with a reality show airing on GMM25 to accompany the contest throughout August.
When asked what advice she would give to the 2017 contestants, Jiratchaya said she had only one thing to share. “Patience,” she said, with strong emphasis.
“Don’t just stop at what you can do today. Do even better tomorrow,” she said. “It takes confidence, the push, the drive, the effort and more to get here.
“There are 30 women. Only one can walk away with a crown. Are you going to walk? Or are you going to run for it? It’s all up to you.”
In those early days, my family wasn’t so accepting. I didn’t even have a confidence to be at home