I have met an actual hermaphrodite, whilst I was working in Hamburg one summer when I was a student.
Like Lettie posted it is a terrible thing for a person to be born with, and in most western countries it's medically decided what sex the person is, then an operation is carried out to make the person one sex or the other.
The one I met was working as a stripper, and had born in the West Indies, so she didn't have any surgical readjustment. The finale to her act, for which she wore a chain mail dress and danced to Private Dancer, was truly amazing.
Talk about pulling all the stops, to amaze your audience.
