the third sex

An interesting point was raised the other day by a correspondent who wondered; “if ladyboys can be considered the third sex, should we consider butch lesbians the fourth sex?”

It was an interesting question. There is a tradition in ancient Indian culture that four sexes were created. By the time Buddhism evolved, that had become three sexes. Christians consider there are just two.

My initial reaction was “no” because gays, male or female, are gays. They like partners of their own sex and are generally comfortable being the sex they are. But then I thought again. I know of several lesbians here in Bangkok who outwardly look like men. You can spot a few in Patpong, actually, because they often find work in girlie go-go bars, as cashiers and as mamasans.

I once saw a very butch girl in a fiercely lustful clinch with a go-go girl with whom it was apparent she was having a steamy affair, and I would have taken the dyke for a boy, with her short floppy hair, spectacles, and stocky build.

On Bangkok’s media scene there is a well-known lesbian couple I know slightly, and they are famous fixtures of the media circuit. The girl is feminine, busty and beautiful. The “boy” is slight and slim, cuts her hair short, and wears a man’s suit. She could easily be an effeminate boy. I break out into a rash of lust when I think of them together, because they are both exceptionally beautiful.

There is of course a branch of cosmetic surgery that caters for women who want to become men. Penis construction is a very specialised art, more so than transforming a boy into a girl. I don’t know what the success rate is. I have to confess I have never seen an artificial penis, although I hasten to add that I would never let any experience like that slip by me. This is not a subject I know that much about, so any comments would be more than welcome.