I suppose, Dr., the fault lies with whoever failed to inform the Sgt. that he was not in Kansas any more.
Banci (also known as
waria, a portmanteau word from the Indonesian words
wanita (woman) and
pria (man), or
wadam, another portmanteau from wanita and Adam) are common in SE Asia. There was a big fuss a couple of years ago when a Thai banci (I forget the Thai word -- something like kaa-phoey meaning ladyboy) became a professional kickboxer and some of the more masculine players refused to play against him/her.
I first came across the word waria when I was on holiday in South Sulawesi and visted the palace of the Sultans of Bone. The guide was explaining (in English) about the position of waria in the old royal court (they formed a priestly class in pre-Islamic times) and I was getting more and more confused thinking he meant warrior.
Bingley
