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As a kid I was going to be Ariel, the Little Mermaid, when I grew up. When I realized I couldn't really grow a tail and became dissatisfied at the notion of wearing a costume tail I settled on 'just a girl...' When I finally realized I was going to grow up a boy as I was born male, I became distraught. I didn't really 'get it' for years, believing there would be a way to become a girl, but when I was old enough to do the research I vowed I would force myself to be content as a boy as a sex change is a life long process and unless you have the millions for cosmetic surgery, it's obivous within a 4ft radius. Having a sex reassignment surgery is nothing more than inverting your dick or aggrandizing your clit.
The third gender in those societies usual refers to men who dress and act as females and are never given the same rights or respect as other males/females. In some Native American societies however, it's normal to have a spirit guide(I can't remember if they're called guides or just similar to) of the opposite sex as I believe they are ancient spirits from ancestory and/or heritage. Here in the US most people consider transexuals to be drag queens are dykes, or they're just given the good ol fag button. I'm fond of the term Queer as it encompasses more than just sexual orientation or gender identity.
It's a 'no-duh' that, when talking about gender identity, you have to take into account society and social settings, the media, gender roles, family roles, and sometimes sexual orientation. It's like wishing you were blonde. You can say you're blonde if your a light brunette/dirty blonde or you can just dye it if you're really a red head, but it's all relative to what you've seen in life and how you percieve things. Like anything in life it's simple if you listen carefully...is that as redunant as it sounds when talking about such a (generally) unexplored subject?
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