system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why does Southeast Asia have such a high concentration/reputation for lady-boys in regards to the rest of the world?
gpt
First, that area (Thailand in particular) has a long history of cultural acceptance toward transgenderism. Or, at least, more social acceptance than more countries. Transgender people are more free to be open with their gender and sexuality, and therefore, a greater percentage of them are. In itself, this wouldn't account for a worldwide "reputation," as other countries probably wouldn't care unless people take an active interest in the region's culture. But when you couple the nation's desire to attract tourism and boost its economy, this sub-culture has been touted as a point of interest for cultural tourism and sexual tourism, exploiting an otherwise innocuous part of their society as something more "exotic" and taboo. It's kind of a shame, since this could have been a shining example of gender acceptance for other countries to follow, but has instead only further promoted transgenderism as something weird or fetishized.