I spent last night with Lacey, Miss China from Miss International Queen 2020, and Yaya, Second-Runner-Up and Miss China in Miss International Queen 2019. While it was a fun night, we all were brought together because of unfortunate circumstances related to COVID-19: it was the last night of Tiffany’s Show cabaret where Yaya performs.
In operation since 1974, Tiffany’s Show is the world’s largest transgender entertainment venue, and it also hosts the Miss International Queen transgender pageant. I competed in the pageant this year as Miss USA. Tiffany’s Show is now closed for at least a month because of the risks of large public gatherings and a steep decline in tourist audiences. But before it did, Lacey and I saw the show with two other friends from China, Kudos and JoJo. Afterwards we all went out with YaYa for a fun night in Thailand, including Chinese hotpot and a gay nightclub.
Unfortunately, COVID-19 was on my mind all night, so afterwards I recorded the below video.
Video: COVID-19 and the transgender community in China, Thailand, and the USA
Video Transcript:
Hi everyone, this is Kayley. You may know me as Miss USA from Miss International Queen 2020 transgender pageant. I wanted to just talk a little bit about a wonderful night I just had, and talk a little bit about Covid-19.
First, [last night] I got to see the Tiffany’s Show cabaret. I went there with my friend Lacey, who was Miss China in Miss International Queen 2020. We went and we saw Yaya, who was Miss China in Miss International Queen 2019, perform live on stage. She sings beautifully every night, every show. We were there with two Chinese LGBT friends of theirs, Kudos and Jo Jo. We cheered her on, we clapped, and we went to a Chinese hotpot restaurant afterwards. We took pictures and marked the end of Tiffany’s Show for at least one month, because it is now closing because of COVID-19.
[Tiffany’s Show] is Thailand’s first and most prestigious transgender cabaret show. It’s been running continuously since the 1970s. It employs many transgender people, and it has inspired transgender cabarets all across the country. The first time I went there, it was packed; hundreds of people there to see transgender beauty on stage. Last night, there were less than 25 people in the audience and it was the last show. Now we got to go out and celebrate cause Yaya. Yaya is not had a break for a while. She performs every night. And after the hotpot restaurant, we went out and we went out to the G-Star gay nightclub. We saw a great show there.
But things are changing here in Thailand and in the United States as both countries come to grips with Covid-19 and a very uncertain future. The tourism industry in Thailand, a lot of which has been driven by Chinese tourists, is drying up. It’s a huge part of the Thai economy, and it’s a huge part of how transgender entertainers, how transgender people who often can’t find jobs other than as entertainers make a living here in Thailand.
It’s affecting them, and it’s affecting my friends in the United States as the outbreak spreads; as the epidemic that hit many of my friends in Seattle so hard is hitting other cities now. I just spoke with some friends in Philadelphia who are scared after the first reported outbreak there, and I just want to send my love and solidarity out to the world and to all those people affected by Covid-19.
Now, let’s talk a little bit more about [last night] because I want to keep this on a happy note because tonight I got to celebrate transgender community LGBT community with four amazing members of China’s LGBT community: Miss China 2019, Miss China 2020, Kudos, who is a famous drag queen, one of the most famous drag Queens in China who actually runs a makeup company and studied marketing here in Thailand, and Jo Jo, a really fabulous friend of ours, a gay boy who I’m just getting to know.
We went out to Chinese hotpot and there was this moment where Yaya really wanted me to try some of the hot pepper sauce and I kept saying, “no, I don’t want anything hot, I don’t want anything hot.” And she had me try just a little bit, and it was so hot that immediately I started sneezing and I felt so embarrassed.
I [was] at a restaurant marking the Covid-19 outbreak with a goodbye farewell to Tiffany’s Show, sneezing, terrified. And my friends from China are laughing now. We all had used hand sanitizer, we all had been very safe. And I ran to the bathroom to finish sneezing, to wash up to not infect anyone, not that I’ve been exposed, God forbid.
But I think there’s a difference; there’s a real difference in my friends from China who’ve had to come to grips with this virus for many months now [and me]. How it’s affected their family, their friends, their communities in China. Now Yaya has been living here, but Lacey came here just recently. Her family has been under quarantine. Jojo and Kudos who have seen China under quarantine. And who’ve been here in Thailand to get away from it for a bit and be safe.
But here we were celebrating LGBT community. I know right now is a scary time, and governments around the world are all going to have to deal with this virus. And many of them are talking about, many of our communities are talking about social isolation. About not going out in big crowds, about spending more time at home, working from home, not going to see performances, shows. This is a big part of the LGBT community and many of my LGBT friends, many of the transgender people here in Thailand are performers. Yaya is lucky. She has a salary. She’s been a salaried employee of Tiffany’s Show since May, and this month that Tiffany Show closes, she’ll get paid.
But we don’t know what happens after this month if it reopens, if the crowds will come back. What’s going to happen to the tourism industry here in Thailand? So many of the transgender people here in Thailand who rely on being performers or rely on working as a waitress or a beautician, or some other job, that largely depends on the tourist industry. We don’t know.
But I’ll tell you one thing. At the end of the night, Jojo and Kudos are going back to China. Lacey will be going back to China. I made plans to hang out with them [in China]. We don’t know when. We don’t know how this outbreak is going to be controlled, or contained, but I will go. I will go visit them as soon as it is safe.
I consider myself a journalist and a storyteller. I’m going to continue traveling the world. I’m going to continue telling stories about transgender people, about transgender, gender nonconforming, queer LGBT people because that is why I’m here in Thailand.
That is why in June I’ll be going to Vietnam to reconnect with the LGBT community there [who have] also treated me like family, and my fans in Vietnam. Hello! Thank you for all the love! I hope I’ll go there in June.
I hope I’ll continue traveling. I’ll obey quarantine laws and I’ll be respectful of. I know people with disabilities…people who are my friends, who are very scared, and rightfully so because they’re at a higher risk of the worst outcomes of Coronavirus, of COVID-19.
I want to say obey your local quarantine laws. Obey safe hygiene in public. Social isolation, if it makes sense for you and your community, do it! We don’t want to spread this infection.
But we need community. Whatever that looks like. That’s why I’m going to continue traveling and talking about transgender community around the world. I’m going to continue as long as it is safe to interview and tell stories. Like I’m planning to tell more of the story of the Miss International Queen 2020 pageant.
So thank you for listening. Thank you for being part of the LGBT community and supporting transgender people. I’m sad Tiffany’s show is closing for a month. And I’m sad for many of my transgender sisters here in Thailand who may actually, unlike Yaya, not have a job right now, and who are struggling. My love goes out to them.
Because we need to be strong together. If there’s one thing that I hope comes of all this, is that we’re stronger as an international community. That we can reach out more across borders and love each other and celebrate each other. Just like [last night], how I sat at a hotpot table in a Chinese restaurant and celebrated the Chinese LGBT community, and celebrated the transgender community here in Thailand and Tiffany Show and Miss International Queen.
So thank you. Stay safe, keep loving each other, and keep celebrating community because we need it to survive. Thank you.
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