HOMOSEX AND THE CHRISTIAN

The Making, and Breaking, of Homosexuality

Miles J. Stanford

INHUMAN HUMANISM - Androgyny

"Androgyny" (from "Andro," male, and "Gyne," female), is an emerging term, and one to beware of. The Women's Liberation argument is that freeing people from rigid sex roles and allowing them to be androgynous should make them more flexible in meeting new situations, and less restricted in what they can do and how they can express themselves.

The polemic poses that in a modern complex society such as ours, an adult has to be assertive, independent and self-reliant. However, traditional femininity makes many women unable to behave in these ways. On the other hand, an adult must also be able to relate to others, to be sensitive to their needs and concerned about their welfare, as well as to be able to depend on them for emotional support. But traditional masculinity keeps men from responding in such supposedly feminine ways.

Androgyny, in contrast, allows an individual to be both independent and tender, assertive and yielding, masculine and feminine. Thus androgyny greatly expands the range of behavior open to everyone, permitting all to cope more effectively in diverse situations. This is looked at as a more human standard of psychological health. (Psychology Today, September 1975, pp. 57-62.)

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(Materials by Miles J. Stanford are republished here under exclusive permission from the author.)