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[Bangkok, Thailand: 4 Apr 98] Parinya Kiatbusaga, 16, is Thailand's best-known kick boxer, having won 20 of 22 matches, 18 by knockout. He's also a crossdresser who creates a feminine appearance in the ring with gesture and makeup.

The contrast presented by his forthright femininity in a rough-and-tumble sport is causing a sensation in Thailand. "I have the body of a great fighter," he says. "But in my heart, I'm a woman. It is hard to fight beautiful men. I can easily knock them out. On the other hand, I want to hug and kiss them."

Thailand is not a closeted country. Men dressed as women host talk shows, live in all-gay housing projects, and march in military parades. Though Thais on the whole are easygoing about crossdressing, in the rural area where Kiatbusaga grew up, his neighborhood fellows felt free to ridicule him. He was lured into fights as a child. He learned to fight early. He says, "A person would tease me only once."

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