Androgyne is a gender identity that is becoming increasingly better represented within the Transgender community. It should be noted that being androgynous doesn't mean your an androgyne - just as being masculine doesn't make you a man and being feminine doesn't make you a woman.

Contents

What is Androgyny?

People who don’t conform to the 'standard' western gender model, sometimes referred to as the gender dichotomy or gender binary, have been around for a long time and in many cultures. The concepts of individuals who aren’t man or woman (again, in the 'standard' model), but in some way are combinations or absences of both are common to many pre-colonial cultures. They have been known as Two Spirits in North America and Hijras in India and by other names in other cultures. The fact is that the entire concept of there being only two gender identities originates in Judeo-Christian culture from Europe and the Middle East. This concept has no real basis in psychology or biology (and it should be added – biological sex is not gender identity).

Indeed, biological sex itself is not binary. There are very many people who are intersexed. The following definition of intersex is given on Berkley University's LGBT Society website:

"Intersex: Intersexuality is a set of medical conditions that feature congenital anomaly of the reproductive and sexual system. That is, ntersex people are born with "sex chromosomes," external genitalia, or internal reproductive systems that are not considered "standard" for either male or female. The existence of intersexuals shows that there are not just two sexes and that our ways of thinking about sex (trying to force everyone to fit into either the male box or the female box) is socially constructed."
Whilst I'm not keen on the medicalisation of intersex that this definition represents, it does help to demonstrate that the existence of intersexed people adds weight to the fact that the gender dichotomy is an artificial construct.

There are many other types of people whose gender identity does not fit the traditional gender dichotomy. They may call themselves GenderQueer, 3rd Gender, Neutrois, Epicene or one of many other labels that they choose for themselves, including ones from their own culture. Many of the things I've said about androgynes here can also be said for these gender identities, but there are also many differences. It must also be said that many people who use one of these labels, use other ones two. Personally I use androgyne, genderqueer and third gender interchangeably for myself. This is very much a personal thing though, I would not presume to do it to other people.

It’s also worth mentioning that gender identity and sexuality are two discrete things. Basically (and somewhat crudely) your gender identity is what you are and your sexuality is who your attracted to.

Are you an Androgyne?

So how do you know if your and androgyne? Well, truth be told, you’re the only person who can say if you are or not. It isn’t just about whether you look androgynous or not, there are many androgynous looking people who most certainly are men and women, equally, there are plenty of hulking rugby players who are androgynes. Looking androgynous can be helpful if you’re an androgyne but it’s not essential.

Many androgynes are both very masculine and very feminine. Many are neither. Many are in between. There are as many ways of being an androgyne as there are androgynes, possibly more. In the end, femininity, masculinity and androgyny are aspects of your character, not the whole character.


Top of page
TG

Intersex