Monday, February 14, 2011

Now Boarding: Transgender Flight Attendants

Four transgender women are part of a 30 member fleet of cabin crew for P.C. Airlines.

Peter Chan, president of the new Asian airline, said when they were hiring, they sought men, women, and transgender people, or those of the "third sex" to fill flight attendant positions. While "katoeys," or "ladyboys" as they are called in Thailand, are an accepted group in entertainment, they are often singled out from jobs in everyday life.

Company president Peter Chan said there was no reason transgender people should be turned away from being flight attendants, according to the Associated Press. Cabin crew members are trained separately by gender, allowing the transgender attendants to be trained with the natural-born women.

"I think it's time for the Thai society to be more open and support freedom of all sexes," he said.

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