Masculinity and Femininity, i.e., gender orientation occurs amongst human males (those born with a penis) in a continnum. Most males have both masculinity and femininity (former in large doses, latter in smaller doses). However, at one point in this continuum, the femininity in a male gets so strong that the male starts to see himself as a different gender from the other males.

The entire world, throughout history knew this separate gender orientation as 'third gender.' In the west, due to peculiar nature of its intense politics of men and manhood, this gender orientation was confused with male-male attraction and misdefined in terms of 'sexual orientation.' Thus 'third gender' in the west becomes 'gay.'