Monday, October 8, 2007

Third Gender

The terms third gender and third sex describe individuals who are considered to be neither women nor men, as well as the social category present in those societies who recognize three or more genders.

The state of being neither male nor female may be understood in relation to the individual's sex, gender role, gender identity or sexual orientation. To different cultures or individuals, a third sex or gender may represent an intermediate state between men and women, a state of being both (such as "the spirit of a man in the body of a woman"), the state of being neither (neuter), the ability to cross or swap genders, or another category altogether independent of male and female. This last definition is favored by those who argue for a strict interpretation of the "third gender" concept.

The term has been used to describe Hijras of India and Pakistan, Fa'afafine of Polynesia, and Sworn virgins of the Balkans, among others, and is also used by many of such groups and individuals to describe themselves. In the Western world, lesbian, gay, transgender and intersex people have been described as belonging to a third sex or gender, although some object to this characterization.

The term "third" is usually understood to mean "other"; some anthropologists and sociologists have described fourth, fifth, and many genders.

In non-western cultures

Eunuch also played a major role in Kamasutra written by Vatsayana in 18th century is the oldest existing textbook of erotic love. But it is lot more than just being a book about sex. It is about the art of living, about finding a partner, maintaining a marriage, committing adultery, living as or with a courtesan, using drugs or medicines, and also, about the varied positions available to lovers in sexual intercourse and the pleasures to be derived from each.

Eunuchs - castrated males - have been in existence since the 9th Century BC. The word derives from the Greek "keeper of the bed" because castrated men were in popular demand to guard royal harems. The practice is believed to have started in China where, at the end of the Ming dynasty, there were as many as 70,000 eunuchs in the grand palace itself and many thousands more waiting to fill vacancies in the royal quarters. In the 1930s, when American journalist Vincent Starrett visited Beijing, he interviewed 33 palace eunuchs, ranging in age from 60 to 80. In his journals, he described the surviving eunuchs as "thin, hairless, fat-lipped and bejowled...with shrill voices and hair which hang down to their necks."

By 1960, the number of Chinese eunuchs had dwindled to 26 living in Beijing, and 1996 saw the death of Sun Yaoting, the last of these noble civil servants who passed away a little before his ninety-fourth birthday.

India is the only country where the tradition of eunuchs is prevalent today. There are about 1 million of them, though their role in life has changed drastically from that of royal servants, confidantes and friends.

Eunuchs, or hijras as they are called here, have become something to be feared. Nobody wants to be accosted by one of them - be nudged with their elbows, stroked on the cheek, taunted, cursed and flashed.

It's by taking advantage of this discomfort and embarrassment at their existence, that hijras in 21st Century India are making their living. Begging isn't their only source of income. It's an age-old custom in the country to have hijras bless childbirths, weddings, housewarmings and other auspicious occasions. The eunuchs are believed to possess occult powers, and their blessings - and curses - are both considered potent.

"I am the third sex, not a man trying to be a woman. It is your society's problem that you only recognize two sexes." (Hijra Mona Ahmed to author Dayanita Singh).
October 6th 2007, when I was in Pattaya for weekend with my friends, I saw one of the most talented and creative director (and also producer) in Tollywood, in the walking street. The first glance that I had on him turned me very excited to see such a famous director in foreign land, I really want to approach him and say hi, but I was shocked (after I came from absences of first glance) to see that he is holding the hand of sexy ladyboy (Kathoey), which really hesitated me to talk to him and not to turn him timid by this unexpected situation and this turned me to hyper excitation. There are other 2 guy accompanied him (I believe those 2 guys also belong to Tollywood), I started following these 4 guys and shot them with my camera at one point they stopped at “Bombay” Indian restaurant for dinner, I waited for them for one hour outside the restaurant to take the picture of them (making sure that they didn’t noticed me). I followed them and shot pictures (may be its Paparazzi) until the end of walking street and those guys left to hotel.

After that I went back to pub where my friends are waiting for me, and later I started realizing on why I am so miss behaved by photographing them? Should I post in my site and get my site more popular? Well I really want to get my site popular…but definitely not by this way. It’s the real personal thing of that director, no one have a right to judge that guy with his personal pleasures. As far as I know, he is very nice guy with“Good boy” fame in the industry, hard working, respectable person and a decent married man. So I decided not to publish them anywhere and just archived the photos by saying myself not to reveal this to my friends, as the rumors will spread like sweet wine for film stars.

That guy is not only the one in modern India of having passion to third gender, there are many people in India who are fond of this ladyboy’s and the great sexual explosion with them. It’s also being spreading openly in the metro cities, and in turn returning to more social imbalance. The economy growth, people open mind thinking, freedom at adultery in youth is driving some of these things happening more openly under the sky shadow.

The social organizations and government should act quickly before it turns to ugly face in the society, by recognizing these third gender and sexual orientation things, educating the citizens, employing the eunuch’s, giving them social status and by physiological counseling.

FYI: There are many external links (text with blue color) in the post, please use them for more information and to check for terminologies.

Say Cheese!!!
Needs Husband and wife are getting all snugly in bed. The passion is heating up.

But then the wife stops and says, "I don' t feel like it. I just want you to hold me."

The husband says " WHAT???" The wife explains that he must not be in tune with her emotional needs as a woman.

The husband realizes that nothing is going to happen tonight and he might as well deal with it.

So the next day the husband takes her shopping at a big dept. store. He walks around and had her try on three very expensive outfits. And then tells his wife, We 'll take all three of them. Then goes over and gets matching shoes worth $200 each.

And then goes to the jewelry Dept. and gets a set of diamond earrings. The wife is so excited (she thinks her husband has flipped out, but she does not care). She goes for the tennis bracelet.

The husband says "but you don 't even play tennis, but OK if you like it then lets get it.'

The wife is jumping up and down. So excited she cannot even believe what is going on. She says " I am ready to go, lets go to the cash register. "

The husband says, " no no no, honey we're not going to buy all this stuff." The wife face goes blank.

" No honey - I just want you to HOLD this stuff for a while."

Her face gets really red she is about to explode and then the husband says " You must not be in tune with my financial needs as a MAN!"

Posted by Tri at 8:37 AM

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