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It is so refreshingly free of norms and so laden with them in some ways. I have fallen in love with my muay and see it as something I have a relationship with, a living expression of who I am, and shaping my muay has allowed me to 'celebrate' the parts of myself its expressing! Thank you for the response!

I love fighting more than anything else. There is not much chance of a career for anyone trans or cis in my local scene, in MMA or Muay Thai. Both scenes are relatively non-existent. I am trying to move somewhere I can pursue this goal, and Angie, Rose, and Nong-thoom are huge inspirations to me. Is this path viable in Thailand as a Farang? I have researched logistics of moving and read a lot of others experiences in addition to Sylvie's own advice but remain unsure about the overall viability of training and fighting traditional stadium Muay Thai as a western trans woman. Additionally I have a lot of questions about how to identify myself as trans, as a farang. I want to be as honest and clear as possible with my trainers and potential coaches and would kill for some insight as to how to approach this issue sensitively without appropriating the Kathoey label if it is cultural. Google has not been clear on this topic, eek. Thank you!

I think Sylvie's advice is the most solid one. I got one too, ended up not following it, can't say it was a smart thing to ignore it, but yolo I guess I can only talk about my very (very very ) limited experience... and not on a public forum, will be happy to [over]share in DMs though.

Thank you kevin this was an excellent read. Adopting cultural norms alongside shaping one's style and muay makes thailand's martial arts scene so tangible and traceable to the living humans who practice and teach it. Goosebumps.