Nong Thoom

Nong Toom
Nong Toom at Fairtex Gym in Bangkok.
Born	Parinya Charoenphol (1981-06-09) 9 June 1981 (age 35) Thailand
Residence	Thailand
Other names	Parinya Kiatbusaba
Occupation	Muay Thai boxer, actress, model

Parinya Charoenphol (Thai: ปริญญา เจริญผล; rtgs: Parinya Charoenphon; born 9 June 1981), nicknamed Toom, also known by the stage name Parinya Kiatbusaba and the colloquial name Nong Toom, is a Thai boxer, former Muay Thai (Thai boxing) champion, model and actress. She is a kathoey, a Thai third gender with similarities to transgender.

As a child, she was already aware of her female gender identity. After a short period as a Buddhist monk, she started to train as a boxer, and eventually joined a Muay Thai camp in Chonburi. Her goal was to make enough money to support her poor parents and to pay for sex-reassignment surgery.

Her public life began in February 1998, with a victory in Bangkok's Lumpini Boxing Stadium, the center of the Muay Thai world. The Thai media were understandably intrigued by the novelty and incongruity of a make-up wearing 16-year-old kathoey, or "lady boy", defeating and then kissing a larger, more muscular opponent.

Although the Thai government had previously blocked kathoey athletes from participating in the national volleyball team for fear of negative reaction from the rest of the world, the Muay Thai establishment embraced Nong Toom, and tourism officials promoted her as "indicative of the wonders to be found" in Thailand. Muay Thai had been in a several-year slump at the time, and Nong Toom had greatly revitalized both media and public interest in the sport, as shown by increased ticket sales and stadium revenue.