"Femmiphile" for the individual. Literally translated the terms mean "lover of the feminine". It properly describes the chief unifying char- acteristic of those heterosexually oriented males who have discovered this means of enjoying and expressing the many feelings, desires, choices and experiences; many relationships, satisfactions and activities which he feels are denied him in his own, appropriate, masculine gender role. This love of the feminine leads him to enjoy identifying with women and attempting as best he may to share some of the aspects of their way of life which he admires, appreciates, and envies.

As indicated at the beginning, this behaviour pattern is presented as one which, although regarded by society in general as abnormal and out of step, is nevertheless the result of the impact of that same society on the individual. It is, so to speak, "caused" by that society because it arises out of the nature and function of the society itself. As such we should be interested in its social etiology, its symptomatology and diagnosis, its affect on society itself, the impact of the response of society back on the individual exhibiting the symptoms, and finally its prognosis.

Western society is highly polarized between what is considered appro- priately masculine and appropriately feminine. These distinctions are, in large measure, artificial since societies do or have existed in which many aspects of the two roles are reversed. It is essential therefore, to at this point distinguish between sex and gender. For most of man's history these terms have been considered as essentially synonymous. That is, that one's anatomy determined not only one's sexual behaviour but all other aspects of one's life as well. Because a baby was born an anatomical little male he was presumed to be psychologically ipso facto a little "man". Modern psychology accepts the fact that while one is born with a sex, one learns a gender. It has been demonstrated a number of times, in cases of pseudohermaphroditism, that a child can erroneously be assigned to the sex that does not conform to his or her genetic sex. Such a child will then be brought up in the gender appropriate to the sex of assignment and will learn to be appropriately masculine or feminine as the case may be. This strongly suggests that the potentials for development of either gender role reside in ALL individuals at birth. Thus the process of growing up becomes a sorting procedure whereby all the behaviour patterns, emotions, activities, dress, expectations, enjoyments, etc. which are part of the prescribed appropriate gender role are taught, encouraged and reinforced while those considered as assigned to the other gender role are denied, discouraged and even pun- ished. This produces little "boys" or little "girls" and, after passing

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