Masculinity for Sale: Shan Migrant Sex Worker Men in Thailand and Questions of Identity. (December 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jirattikorn, Amporn; Tangmunkongvorakul, Arunrat; Ayuttacorn, Arratee
• Is Part Of: Men and masculinities. Volume 25:Number 5(2022)
• Page Start: 782
• Page End: 801
• Publication Date: 2022-12
• Subjects: Shan -- migrant -- sex worker men -- masculinity -- Thailand -- queer sexual commodification; Men's studies -- Periodicals; Étude de genre; Étude sur les hommes; Homme; Identité masculine; Masculinité; Perception sociale; Recherche; Rôle selon le sexe; Ressource Internet (Descripteur de forme); Périodique électronique (Descripteur de forme); 305.3105
• DOI: 10.1177/1097184X221119793
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1097-184X

Abstract

The Thai sex industry sector catering to sex between men has recently shifted to a predominately migrant workforce, particularly in northern part of the country. The majority of sex worker men in Chiang Mai, a metropolitan center in northern Thailand, are Shan migrants from Myanmar. This research explores the lives of Shan men engaged in sex work in Chiang Mai, examining how engaging with queer sexual commodification shapes their gender and sexual identities. As Shan sex worker men in this research identify as heterosexual men, selling sex to men might impact their sense of (hetero)masculinity. Based on 20 in-depth interviews with Shan migrant sex worker men living and working in Chiang Mai city, this research explores, on the one hand, how Shan sex worker men negotiate, redefine, and reconstruct their masculinities, and on the other, how the identities of being a masculine man, sex worker, and non-citizen migrant intersect and shape their experiences and identities.