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Photos: Thai transgender boxer sets sights on French Muay Thai title

Her face made up with rouge and red lipstick, transgender Muay Thai fighter Nong Rose Baan Charoensuk is a formidable opponent in her Thai homeland. Blazing through bouts with knees of steel, the boxer now has eyes set on a French Muay Thai title match – a feat attempted by no trans fighter on French soil so far.

Updated on: Jan 03, 2018 12:55 PM IST

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Stepping into the ring clad in a pink tank top and red lipstick, Nong Rose does pad work in a Thai boxing gym, preparing for a foreign debut that will make her the first transgender fighter to enter the ring in France. Ahead of the Muay Thai match in Paris, the 21-year-old is training hard in central Thailand’s Chachoengsao province, with her brother as sparring partner. (Lilian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

Updated on Jan 03, 2018 12:55 PM

Stepping into the ring clad in a pink tank top and red lipstick, Nong Rose does pad work in a Thai boxing gym, preparing for a foreign debut that will make her the first transgender fighter to enter the ring in France. Ahead of the Muay Thai match in Paris, the 21-year-old is training hard in central Thailand’s Chachoengsao province, with her brother as sparring partner. (Lilian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

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Boxing is part of the siblings’ DNA -- they learned to jab, cross and kick from their uncle, a professional Muay Thai fighter, who started teaching them the basics when they were eight. “Since (we were) little ones, we used to fight... but she was always stronger than me,” Nong Rose’s twin brother, Somrak Polchareon, told AFP. (Lilian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

Updated on Jan 03, 2018 12:55 PM

Boxing is part of the siblings’ DNA -- they learned to jab, cross and kick from their uncle, a professional Muay Thai fighter, who started teaching them the basics when they were eight. “Since (we were) little ones, we used to fight... but she was always stronger than me,” Nong Rose’s twin brother, Somrak Polchareon, told AFP. (Lilian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

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In the eyes of the Thai government, she is a man named Somros Polchareon. But Rose has always felt like a girl, and started dressing like one at the age of 14. While Thailand has a reputation as a free-spirited haven for LGBTQ people, discrimination abounds outside of nightlife and entertainment venues. (Lilian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

Updated on Jan 03, 2018 12:55 PM

In the eyes of the Thai government, she is a man named Somros Polchareon. But Rose has always felt like a girl, and started dressing like one at the age of 14. While Thailand has a reputation as a free-spirited haven for LGBTQ people, discrimination abounds outside of nightlife and entertainment venues. (Lilian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

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In life as in the ring, where she competes against men, finding her place has not always been easy. Transgender people in Thailand still can’t change their gender designation on identity papers, despite a 2015 law against gender-based discrimination. “When I started fighting (as a girl), I was afraid that people would not accept me,” she said. (Lilian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

Updated on Jan 03, 2018 12:55 PM

In life as in the ring, where she competes against men, finding her place has not always been easy. Transgender people in Thailand still can’t change their gender designation on identity papers, despite a 2015 law against gender-based discrimination. “When I started fighting (as a girl), I was afraid that people would not accept me,” she said. (Lilian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

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Nong Rose practices knee strikes with her brother. She turned professional after graduating from high school two years ago, pushing through prejudice by racking up victories, winning half of her 300 matches. Today, she is better known for her knees of steel. (Lilian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

Updated on Jan 03, 2018 12:55 PM

Nong Rose practices knee strikes with her brother. She turned professional after graduating from high school two years ago, pushing through prejudice by racking up victories, winning half of her 300 matches. Today, she is better known for her knees of steel. (Lilian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

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Lacking legal recognition, challenges exist when navigating medical care or bureaucratic processes. But the ring is a different story. “In combat, she always walks on you and hammers you with her knees,” said Chalongchai Meemindee, a 25-year-old boxer who faced her in November. “It’s good to have her in the ring because it brings colour and attracts viewers, especially foreigners,” he added. (Lilian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

Updated on Jan 03, 2018 12:55 PM

Lacking legal recognition, challenges exist when navigating medical care or bureaucratic processes. But the ring is a different story. “In combat, she always walks on you and hammers you with her knees,” said Chalongchai Meemindee, a 25-year-old boxer who faced her in November. “It’s good to have her in the ring because it brings colour and attracts viewers, especially foreigners,” he added. (Lilian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

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Nong Rose is not the first transgender boxer in Thailand. Nong Toom, whose story is captured in the 2004 film “Beautiful Boxer”, led the way, famously using her championship winnings to pay for a sex change. “She was my role model,” said Rose, adding that the fighter comes to support her at most matches. (Lilian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

Updated on Jan 03, 2018 12:55 PM

Nong Rose is not the first transgender boxer in Thailand. Nong Toom, whose story is captured in the 2004 film “Beautiful Boxer”, led the way, famously using her championship winnings to pay for a sex change. “She was my role model,” said Rose, adding that the fighter comes to support her at most matches. (Lilian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

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Rose spars with a fellow boxer in Chachoengsao. She recalls her male opponents being initially rattled -- or even angered -- by her appearance. “In my village everyone knew me so it was easy,” she says. “But outside the city, some boxers looked at me wrong and said that trans people could not win.” (Lilian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

Updated on Jan 03, 2018 12:55 PM

Rose spars with a fellow boxer in Chachoengsao. She recalls her male opponents being initially rattled -- or even angered -- by her appearance. “In my village everyone knew me so it was easy,” she says. “But outside the city, some boxers looked at me wrong and said that trans people could not win.” (Lilian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

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The Paris competition on January 6, against French Muay Thai champion Akram Hamidi, is a chance to advance her career -- and bring more attention to trans fighters. “It helps to promote the trans, to show that we are worth as much as the others. We are not weak,” she said. (Lilian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

Updated on Jan 03, 2018 12:55 PM

The Paris competition on January 6, against French Muay Thai champion Akram Hamidi, is a chance to advance her career -- and bring more attention to trans fighters. “It helps to promote the trans, to show that we are worth as much as the others. We are not weak,” she said. (Lilian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

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Nong Rose says she plans to take her transition to the next step once her boxing days are over. “Today, I do not take hormones because it affects my condition and my boxing. When you are on hormones, you have much less energy. But as soon as I stop boxing, I (will) do all the operations to finish my transformation,” she said. (Lilian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

Updated on Jan 03, 2018 12:55 PM

Nong Rose says she plans to take her transition to the next step once her boxing days are over. “Today, I do not take hormones because it affects my condition and my boxing. When you are on hormones, you have much less energy. But as soon as I stop boxing, I (will) do all the operations to finish my transformation,” she said. (Lilian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

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