A transgender kickboxer in rural Thailand is fighting for glory and acceptance of who she is.
Rose, an 18-year-old kickboxer, is from Phima in the Nakhon Ratchasima Province of Thailand. She has been fighting since she was seven, putting an estimated 200 to 300 fights under her belt.
![Rose fights men in kickboxing matches. Photo / Lindsey Newhall](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/ETKTFKTLZRDWRAMZNCNXEGCOQQ.jpg?auth=4f1ad74bf1c951a8f0c78ad38e8033ea1a00cb138bb09c5e4320dac25a619ba8&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
As a trans Muay Thai fighter, one of only a handful active in the sport, Rose told Fightland she receives mixed responses from her male opponents.
"My opponent and I will usually see each other for the first time an hour or two before a fight. Sometimes, whoever I'm matched up against will take a look at me and then refuse to fight. I don't know if they say no to the fight because they hear I'm a good fighter, or because I'm kathoey."