Part of the answer might be found in what /u/sunagainstgold has written in response to Transvestism and especially "Ladyboys" are strongly associated with South-East and East Asian culture and cities like Bangkok and Tokyo. When did this trope start and how old is it? alongside /u/swagberg and /u/Xiao8818 and a special cameo by Saint Perpetua.

There is a lot more to be written on this topic, this is just somewhere to start.