Gallimard vs. Butterfly

After reading the last couple scenes in Act III, I really began thinking about the question we posed in class. Does gender really matter when it comes to love? Is it possible to love someone without knowing, or caring what their sexual identity is? Iv'e found it difficult to answer after reading the last conversation between Song and Gallimard about their faux relationship. It seemed that Gallimard realized that he didn't love song, but rather his interpretation of an oriental woman. This would mean that it is impossible to love someone despite what gender they were due to the fact that one's gender is such a large part of their identity. However, near the very end of the play, Gallimard admits to 'loving a man', rather than a woman. I wonder if it is possible that Gallimard knew all along that Song was a man, but was so infatuated with the mixture of his true self and his oriental self that he denied the truth; knowing that if he did, society would condemn him. His admittance of loving a man was delivered right before his death, and could easily be seen as a confession of sorts, knowing that he would die in a few moments and it wouldn't matter what society thought of him anymore. I think after further examination, it is safe to say that Gallimard would have loved song no matter what his gender appeared to be, as long as he played the part of the submissive and weak role in the relationship. In the end, it all came down to a power struggle between Pinkerton and Butterfly, and Butterfly won.