The Transgender Dictionary

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Androgyne

Table of Contents

Introduction

There are numerous nonbinary gender identities that people can identify as. Androgyne is a somewhat common term that some people identify as. The term has existed since the 18th century. Not everyone who identifies as androgyne will use the same pronouns as each other, or display the same gender presentation.

General Information

Androgyne is a gender which is a blend between the binary male and female genders. Some people who identify as androgyne may describe their experience as this gender as the following; identifying as neuter, man-woman, complex, boy-girl, as being between male and female, extremely personal, irrelevant, as being neither male nor female, in-between, as being neither masculine nor feminine, comfortably expressing either alternative gender role in a variety of socially acceptable environments, absent, or as leaning more towards being nonbinary than being masculine or feminine.

History

The term androgyne dates back to the 18th century, though it was not always used to describe a gender identity.

The earliest instance of the word androgyne being used to describe one's gender was by author Jennie June when he published "Autobiography of an Androgyne" in the year 1918. Prior to this, the term androgyne was used interchangeably with the term bisexual, though there are more recent times when the two words were used in this manner; such as in the 50th episode of the second season of Star Trek, "The Trouble with Tribbles", where Dr. McCoy refers to the tribbles (an alien species) as bisexual. The term androgyne has also been used historically (late 19th century/early 20th century) to refer to feminine gay men.

The character Switch from "The Matrix" (1999) was originally described by The Wachowski Sisters as a "beautiful androgyne" in the original script. The character was originally intended to be played by two different actors, however this idea was cut by Warner Brothers.

The word "androgyne" is a portmanteau derived from the Greek words "andró" meaning "man" and "gynḗ" meaning "woman". Together, the term roughly means "man woman." Someone who identifies as androgyne will typically dress in an androgynous manner. Some androgynes seek out nullification.

The term androgyne has also been used to refer to people who are intersex. This usage is not entirely obsolete, though it is not encouraged.

Androgyne Flag

The androgyne flag has three vertical stripes. This flag was created by Tumblr user saveferris in March of 2011.

The left pink stripe in the androgyne flag represents the spectrum of femininity and womanhood. It acknowledges the spectrum of female-identified and feminine-presenting individuals.

The center purple stripe in the androgyne flag represents androgyny. It represents a mix of masculininity and feminininty.

The right blue stripe in the androgyne flag represents the spectrum of masculinity and manhood. It acknowledges the spectrum of male-identified and masculine-presenting individuals.

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