Interview project: Gender Reassignment in Thailand
During April, May, June and July, I will be conducting face-to-face interviews with anyone living in Australia who has, or intends to, travel to Thailand to obtain gender reassignment surgery (GRS).
By 'gender reassignment surgery', I mean any kind of surgery which has enhanced your gender presentation: not just genital surgery.
During the interview, participants will be asked questions such as:
- How you identify yourself in terms of gender identity
- Why you decided to travel to Thailand to obtain gender reassignment surgery
- How you found out about Thai cosmetic surgery clinics, the surgeon you preferred etc
- What the experience of travelling to Thailand was like, and how it met your expectations of the trip
- Your experiences of surgery
- Your perceptions of transgender cultures in Thailand, compared to Australia
- How the trip changed your experience of your own gender gender identity, if at all
If you're interested in taking part or have any questions, please email me or contact me by phone. (See contact details here.)
The benefits to you as a participant in this study are:
- You have the opportunity to contribute to a growing field of research about and for transsexual, trans and gender-variant people.
- This is an opportunity for you to share your experiences of obtaining gender reassignment surgery in Thailand, and to contribute to the first official documentation of why many transsexual/transgender people in Australia find it necessary to travel overseas for GRS.
- This research may help identify some of the needs and limitations of transsexual and transgender healthcare in Australia.
The names and identifying details of participants will be changed in any publications flowing from the interviews. All efforts will be made to respect confidentiality. I also welcome requests copies of the thesis chapters and journal articles flowing from this research, and any feedback you'd like to offer if you take part.
This research has ethical clearance from the University of Melbourne. For more information about ethics, please take a look at the ethics section.
Thank you for your interest in this study!
