Long ago, in the 90s, ‘Men are from Mars, Women are From Venus’, a relationship “manual”, reminded us that ‘men’ and ‘women’ are different (and everyone is heterosexual). What a relief! Women ‘gave’ men sex, slightly reluctantly, because that’s how men got ‘affection’. Men, meanwhile, listened to women expressing their worries, without that pesky ‘male’ tendency to problem-solve.

The book has sold 15 million copies. And counting.

Our Mars/Venus issue explores whether the need to be heard, held and express ourselves – to be loved, in short – goes beyond gender. Spoken word artist Andrea/Andrew Gibson, touring the UK in May and interviewed in this issue by our resident DJ, poet Caoimhe Lavelle, has said, “I’ve never in my life really felt like a woman and I’ve certainly never felt like a man.”

With the anniversary of his sudden death approaching, we look at the abiding lessons of Prince in how to merge gender in how we dress.  His early experiments with his female persona, Camille, form the lynchpin of this issue’s hermaphrodite disco mix by Caoimhe Lavelle, also featuring Jobriath & Chris & Cosey in collaboration with The Eurythmics.  We talk to James Faulkner and Jed Perez, drag queens born in a male body, who love to mother. Unsettling new author Wendy Eskine mulls the traditionally ‘feminine’ preserve of the domestic.

Marilyn Monroe once said what she hated most about being viewed as a sex object was the “object” bit. Yet, half a century on, while demanding more freedom around gender, we willingly objectify ourselves.  Donning a new pair of brogues, the moment is snapped, commodified, sold to the highest likes. It’s called ‘reclaiming our narrative’ yet fixates us on the outer gaze.  The Demented Goddess is a place to retrieve the inner knowledge of who we are and what art we might make, beyond gender – while looking fabulous, of course.

Love on ya,

Soma x

Soma Ghosh, Editor

Twitter: @calcourtesan @GoddessDemented

Main photo:  Back row, l-r, GroundsKeeper Fanny, Frans Gender, Eli Buck, Violet Grace, Fawna Love; Front row, l-r Diana Morphine, James Faulkner, Alice Rabbit, Havana Melt Down and Roche Rabbit.  Photo by Craig Waddell