Figure 1.

These people are not transvestites or transsexuals. They are Sylhet kothis, from South Asia. Although men, they see themselves as feminine and adopt mannerisms to attract panthis—real men. Sociocultural, religious, and family pressures ensure that most kothis eventually marry and produce children, no matter how long they attempt to delay this process. This intense pressure, not surprisingly, produces a range of major psychological effects. With permission of Naz Foundation International