Androgyne is an identity under the non-binary umbrella. It is described as being simultaneously male and female or in between male and female. Some androgynous people may identify as bigender, with one masculine gender and one feminine gender, while others may identify as a single gender that is somewhere in between man and woman, but not completely one or the other.
One does not necessarily have to feel equal amounts of masculinity and femininity. For example, one could feel 80% female and 20% male and still be androgyne. For some androgyne people the amount of masculinity and femininity they feel can be fluid.
Historically androgyne, or androgynous was used interchangeably with intersex, however it's now recognized that that is not accurate. Not all intersex people are androgyne and vice versa. Some people may use androgyne interchangeably with non-binary or genderqueer, although this is not completely accurate.
Androgyne should not be confused with androgynous. Androgynous is a gender presentation where someone presents with a mix of masculine and feminine features or in a gender neutral way. Not all androgyne people will present androgynously, and not all people who present androgynously are androgyne. Androgynous is a quality that a gender or gender presentation can have, but it is not a gender on its own.
Types of Androgyne
- Femandrogyne: Feminine leaning androgyne.
- Mascandrogyne: Masculine leaning androgyne.
- Neutrandrogyne: Equally masculine and feminine androgyne.
- Versandrogyne: Androgyne with changing amounts of masculinity and femininity.
- Fluandrogyne: Androgyne with fluid aspects making up one's gender identity.
Flag and Symbols
The main androgyne flag has three vertical stripes, pink representing femininity/womanhood, blue representing masculinity/manhood, and purple representing androgyny, a mix of the two. The flag was created by Tumblr user saveferris on or before July 24, 2014.[1]
The alternate androgyne flag was created by an unknown person on or before August 24, 2015.[2] Black and white represent how androgyne, while it is a non-binary gender, is somewhat a more binary than other identities. It weaves between male and female comfortably, and doesn’t tend to stray beyond the binary, unlike other identities. Blue represents masculinity, be it identity-wise or aesthetically. It represents the masculine traits that androgyne people possess, as well as those who are on the more masculine side of the identity. Pink represents femininity, identity-wise or aesthetically. It represents the feminine traits that androgyne people possess, as well as those who are on the more feminine side of the identity. Purple represents a comfortable blending of masculinity and femininity to make the unique identity that androgyne people are. Purple also represents androgyne being a non-binary identity.
Another alternate androgyne flag was created by Milith Rusignuolo on July 2, 2015.[3] Pink and green represents androgynes whose position on the gender spectrum changes, or who use the term interchangeably with other terms. Fuchsia represents femandrogynes, or androgynes who are more feminine than masculine. Purple represents versandrogynes or neutrandrogynes, who are relatively equally feminine and masculine. Blue represents mascandrogynes, or androgynes who are more masculine than feminine.
Another alternate androgyne flag was designed by wrennnnnnnnn and post on r/QueerVexillology on June 19, 2020. Orange is used as a lesser known masculine color, one that doesn't play off of the pink vs. blue aesthetic. Purple, similarly, is an alternate feminine color. The white in the middle represents an absence of gender, same as on the genderqueer and non-binary flags. The Necker Cube is used in the middle as an androgyne symbol. The teal is a mixture of two colors, both gendered on opposite sides of the binary.
Other symbols of androgyny include the the Necker Cube. In was proposed as a symbol in 1996 by an androgyne person, Raphael Carter, due to it's ambiguous geometric shape. Carter says "because it is either concave or convex depending on how you look at it."[4]
Another androgyne symbol is a mix of the male (Mars) and female (Venus) gender symbols (U+26A8 ⚨). This symbol is most commonly sighted as the androgyne symbol, but it is sometimes used for intersex. It can be shown pointing in any direction (U+26A6 ⚦ or U+26A9 ⚩), and the direction is sometimes used to distinguish androgyne and intersex. It is also the alchemical symbol for iron sulfate.
Etymology
Androgyne is a combination of the Greek words "andr-" meaning male, and "-gyne", meaning female.
Resources
- ↑ https://pridearchive.tumblr.com/post/92744874921/androgyne-pride
- ↑ https://www.deviantart.com/pride-flags/art/Androgyne-2-555850649
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20180210192310/https://avia-viridis.neocities.org/flags.html
- ↑ https://practicalandrogyny.com/2011/06/25/the-necker-cube-symbol-for-androgyny/