I hope that I don't trigger any bad feelings with my reply because it is one that I've struggled with for many years. I listen to many others that have similar feelings and emotions about who or should I say what we are. The more I research the problems of gender, I find that it doesn't just apply to males wishing that they are female.

I have started seeing that there are a fair share of females that wish they could be male. The reasons are many but the central theme is always one of "The grass may be greener for the other side". For some, it's the fact that my generation was raised with males being somewhat privileged in the way society treat them. As LoveBirdsFlying stated, women were more or less told that they were expected to become Mothers, wives, homemakers and only things that the so called "fairer sex" could handle.

Males were told that they had to be rough and tumble types that were expected to be the bread winners, the kings of their castle and the overall dominant person in all relationships. That at least to me, was a bunch of BS!. The males that showed our feelings and emotions were pounced upon by males that considered us to be freaks and by women that felt that we were strange, degrading and just plain weird.

In today's society, women that show a somewhat masculine approach to life are considered acceptable and are sometimes looked up to as leaders. Women are now working as mechanics, truck drivers, engineers and the list of what used to be a long list of male dominated careers. They are no longer looked at as Butch or some of the other nasty names that they were called back then.

As for guys that show any form of femininity, unfortunately they are still classed as somewhat less than male. Yes males can be homemakers but then have to live with questions like what you couldn't find a job? Males can now be nurses where way back when, they were scorned for not becoming doctors. Some women find them to be more understanding and loving.

But I have breached subject that have gone beyond the questions that O'Quinn has about herself. O'Quinn you have asked yourself why you feel so confused about WHOM you are attracted to. You look at the human form as wondrous and sometimes sexy. Often you find desires in both sexes where you feel that you should only see in the opposite gender.

Many of us have the same feelings and desires that you questioned. Some of us only see what is or may be pleasurable and not what gender they may be. A lot of women that I've talked to about this subject feel that they could never express their real desires because of the stigmas attached to them.

Some of us now prefer to refer to ourselves as pansexual. I hate having to use tags or references but it does describe us a little better than bi or gay/lesbian. It is a flexibility that we can enjoy pleasure with either gender and all the in betweens. It is feelings and desires simply for the true nature of a relationship with a human being and nothing else.

As for looking at younger people, you are like many that see them not as sexual beings but healthy, graceful humans that still exude the spark of life that we all had way back when. It's only when you act on a sexual nature that it becomes one that needs to be addressed.

I guess what I am trying to say is, please don't ever confuse who you are with what society dictates what we should or shouldn't be. Find that harmony within yourself that makes us able to face each day with a somewhat positive outlook. And sorry I got so long winded.