This article describes a non-Western construct of transgender which is based on an Asian tradition. I can understand how it's situated in the context of that culture. I'm not sure how much relevance it has to American transgender, though.
While I think it's a good thing to learn about other cultures, including non-Western cultures, and broaden one's horizons, I just don't want any construct like "third gender," "two spirit," or "neither man nor woman" applied to me. I am a woman -- and I'm quite at home within the female half of the familiar binary gender construct.
Also, the notion that if we make it OK to be trans, suddenly "too many people are going to rush out and change their gender" is just ignorant. It just does not happen on a whim. I think a lot of transphobia is based on an ignorant fear that it will throw the whole gender situation into mass confusion if we're given equal rights. That certainly is not true. On the contrary, we transsexuals have been accused by more radical gender rebels of reinforcing the familiar binary, not disturbing it.
"there is a question about privacy versus the need to be able to trace the original gender of these people."
Excuse me? What alleged "need" is this? It's nobody else's bleeping business, keep your totalitarian nose out of my gender origins.
