APRIL 2007 “Androgyny is a term derived from the Greek words anér, meaning man, and gyné meaning woman…regarding the mixing of both male and female genders…. The mixing of masculine and feminine characteristics,” may be seen in the…fashion statements of David Bowie, Boy George, Marilyn Manson, and Annie Lennox….A psychologically androgynous person is commonly known as an androgyne….To say that a culture or relationship is androgynous is to say that it lacks rigid gender roles and that the people involved display characteristics or partake in activities traditionally associated with the other gender. The term androgynous is often used to refer to a person whose look or build make determining their gender difficult….People who show Androgyny traits are seen in Psychology as being the most mentally stable individuals because they can see situations from both a masculine and feminine perspective. They tend to also handle social situations better than people who are typically defined as solely masculine or solely feminine….An androgyne is a person who does not fit cleanly into the typical masculine and feminine gender roles of their mainstream culture,” ~ Wikipedia.org Goth is a decidedly feminine culture. Goth style mixes male and female in decidedly feminine ways. “The androgynous glamour and deep voiced vocals of 1970s David Bowie provided an important precursor to goth….The most important starting point of goth, however, was probably provided by the images and sounds of Bauhaus….much of the band’s set contained most of the distinctive themes which still pervade the goth scene….a dark twisted form of androgyny….The division between males and females is significantly blurred by ‘goth’ style” ~ Paul Hodkinson, Goth: Identity, Style, and Subculture “Gender confusion…is a prized effect within the subculture….For goths, style is the mark of substance…so that androgynous surface is seen to stand for feminized depths. Indeed, goth men often lay claim to androgyny whether or not they cross dress….it is integral to the goth state of mind….at the very least, men who identify as goths simultaneously identify as partly feminine….In fact, men are drawn to the subculture by its rich opportunities to display sensitivity, emotion, theatricality, and artiness – behaviors that, in today’s hyper-masculine culture, are not only associated with women, but often...relegated to them….If, in the parlance of today’s gender obsessed culture, men are from Mars and women are from Venus, then goths originate from a different planet entirely….For goths, the sexes are less divided by…consumer driven norms than they are unified by an overarching commitment to goth aesthetics.” There is in goth, “a determination to rescue men’s feminine potential from the prohibitions of normative masculinity….goth’s most arresting stylistic signature is the conspicuous display of androgynous masculinity….The male goth is a figure who troubles gender.” Goth is about “turning one’s body, feelings, and very existence into a work of art.” ~ Lauren Goodlad and Michael Bibby, editors, Goth: Undead Subculture Cross cultural pollination has been a part of the spread of the gospel since the days of Acts. Most of the struggles recorded in Acts are the struggles of one culture to reach out to another. As gothic Christians we will be affected by our gothic heritage. Picture if you will a marriage between Christianity our father and goth our mother. We are the genetic offspring of the union. Androgyny is a part of who we are. Does it make sense that women have to struggle in the market place for equal pay and equal opportunity while men are told they cannot be tender on the basis of their gender? As gothic Christians we have the opportunity to stop, or at the very least call attention to the gender based insanity of our mainstream and Christian cultures. I was once asked by a sincere, brilliant young woman if I thought she could make it as a minister of the gospel. I asked her why not, and she said, “Because I’m a woman.” I asked her what her sex had to do with it. I said, “It’s the message that matters not your gender.” So when goth men put on a skirt, or more importantly an attitude or disposition that is, in our mainstream culture associated with the female gender, I applaud their courage. In goth we are free to be the people we were created to be—free of the narrow confines of our mainstream culture’s gender identity rules. “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus,” ~ Galatians 3: 27 – 28 |