AND YOU THOUGHT YOUR TATTOO WAS REBELLIOUS

Thailand’s health ministry is attempting to enforce a ban on castration now that the procedure has become increasingly popular among young men who would prefer to grow up as ladyboys. Apparently there is a wide-spread belief in Thailand that being castrated before the full onset of puberty will help a young boy develop much more feminine features as s/he grows older. This has led to a massive underground market for “cosmetic castration” which has pushed the price down as low as $125 and created a massive health risk for young boys who opt for this procedure. In response the government has banned all hospitals and clinics from performing castration on any boy under the age of 18. So far at least one clinic is defying the government and has called on anyone who wants to be castrated to come to the clinic. "I want them to be happy with what they want to be, and will remove their unwanted organs," said the clinic’s top surgeon, who warned that the ban will only make it more dangerous by pushing the market further underground. (Reuters)