The Mark Of Cain Singer Comes Out As Transgender: ‘I’ve Decided To Embrace Who I Am’

The Mark Of Cain(Credit: Natasha Wormova)

The lead singer and guitarist in the Australian alt-metal band, The Mark Of Cain, has come out as a transgender woman, explaining that seeing a new generation of young people living their authentic lives has inspired her to “finally be me in my autumn years.”

On Monday night (2 February), Josie Scott penned an open letter to fans on the band’s Facebook page, revealing that her family and close friends know her as Josie or Jo and “given where I identify on the gender spectrum, I fit within the paradigm of being a trans woman.”

Scott opened the post by getting straight to the point, “with little or no bullshit”, and told fans that as she’s aged, she’s decided to embrace, rather than endure, who she is. She wrote that she’s struggled with gender dysphoria for much of her life, since she was about eight years old.

Now 63, Scott continued, “I always assumed I’d just live my life, complain a lot, and die leaving some clues in my songs and journals for family to read and think, ‘Oohaahh what a very strange (albeit talented) person.’”

Scott added that her inner conflict, the struggles with gender dysphoria, can be heard in the band’s music, including their 1995 album Ill At Ease. Throughout that album, which was produced by Henry Rollins, Scott made a “key note address” to her struggles, “though I was trying not to be too obvious.”

While recovering from long Covid in 2022, Scott was left with time to reevaluate and consider how she felt about “growing old, navigating sickness, and whether when the time came to leave earth, I could do so, with no regrets.”

She continued, “My answer was a big, ‘No, you’ve never been authentic’. I knew I would always regret not having the courage of my convictions to live my life. Seeing so many young people now able to embrace who they are and live authentically without as much bullshit as existed when I was young helped shine a light on the possibility that maybe I can finally be me in my autumn years.”

In the post, Scott explained that The Mark Of Cain has often been recognised as a “very masculine, testosterone-driven band,” which acted as a “beard” for her. “Much of what was interpreted as masculine was often being generated from my internal rage about my own dissatisfaction about myself and the paralysis I felt in being unable to live as me,” she wrote.

“It’s been liberating to finally live as myself albeit challenging at the same time, but the happiness I feel outweighs any obstacles I’ve faced so far.”

Scott concluded the post by stating that she feels that real fans of the band, particularly those who relate to The Mark Of Cain’s expressions of alienation of otherness, “will understand the difficulty I’ve faced, of feeling different, and being on the outside, and will be ok with my announcement.”

She also indicated that her announcement changes nothing when it comes to The Mark Of Cain. “We’ll continue to write, record and perform hard heavy music and I may look a little more androgynous but everything else remains the same,” she wrote. “As ever, thanks for listening.”

Josie’s post received overwhelming support from fans and peers. Australian journalist Rohan Connolly shared the post and wrote, “I’ve loved this band for 40-odd years, changes nothing for me. More power to Josie Scott for embracing her true self. My only request is one more album … been WAY too long!!”

Dave Jiannis, Director of Diamond Creative Services and Artist First, commented: “Massive respect and love .I’m so proud of you Josie. TMOC always wrote songs that evoked such emotion, that’s why we love it. Thank you for continuing to do so.” Double J’s Dan Condon added, “Thank you for sharing this with us. To hear that your happiness outweighs the obstacles makes me so happy. TMOC undefeated.”

Another fan commented, “Couldn’t give a shit and I’m an old bogan. Do you. Keep playing. I’ll keep listening and enjoying the show .”

Josie Scott formed The Mark Of Cain with her brother, Kim, in 1984. From November 2023 to January 2024, they performed Ill At Ease across the country and went on to release a deluxe, remastered vinyl reissue of the 1995 classic.

The band’s most recent album, Songs Of The Third And Fifth, was released in 2012. In 2023, they unveiled the live album, Livid Live ‘96. In 2022, The Mark Of Cain were inducted into the South Australian Music Hall of Fame.