Veronique Renard - Pholomolo: No Man No Woman

2007, English, Interview, Netherlands, Veronique Renard,

Full title: "Pholomolo: No Man No Woman" by Veronique Renard. She is one of the most inspirational women for me.

"She was born near Amsterdam in the Netherlands. In 2000, she immigrated to Asia. For nearly seven years, she lived in the hometown of the Dalai Lama in the Indian Himalayas. In the fall of 2006, Veronique moved to Thailand. Currently, she lives with her family in Bangkok."

"Author Veronique Renard omitted something critical in her popular 2003 memoir Pantau in India. As if leaving behind Dutch corporate life, converting to Buddhism, and living among Tibetan refugees in the Himalayas was not amazing enough, Veronique transitioned from male to female 25 years ago and has never mentioned it since.

Until now. In her remarkable follow-up memoir Pholomolo, Veronique opens up for the first time. Laugh-out-loud moments punctuate this heartfelt portrait of her childhood struggles to express herself in a world that told her she had to be a boy. After transition at seventeen, she never discusses her background with family, friends, colleagues, and lovers. Now, she shares her unique experiences as a transsexual female in the occidental and oriental world with absolute candor."

In 2013, I interviewed her and asked her about the attitude of Buddhism towards transgender people: "The Tibetan Buddhists call us pholomolos. Pho means Male and Mo means Female and Lo means no. Not man, not woman. I liked that idea. Since the Tibetans explained to me the phenomenon of transsexualism, I started to feel a lot of self-worth. They think we are special, holy, half-god-like. It’s almost a joy to introduce myself to Tibetans and Indians as a transsexual! Buddhism doesn’t have much to say on this particular matter.

Buddhism is all about finding Nirvana, enlightenment, and everybody has the right to follow the path of the Buddha, including transsexuals, so there is no religious discrimination toward us. In Asia people often turn to half-man-half-woman figures to receive their blessings for good luck.

Transsexualism is a totally different thing in Asia. They are the shamans, the holy people, the priests, those figures who find their place somewhere between the gods and the human people. We are everything; both man and woman, human and god in one body. We are unlike non-transsexual people."

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