Articles on Lesbian History, Including by Hephaestus Books

A culture’s stories can tell us about how they see the world, and while the inclusion of characters we might nowadays label as transgender or gender non-conforming does not necessarily indicating acceptance and understanding, it can suggest these concepts were at least somewhat known. How else can we know trans people existed in the past then? One clue comes from the mythology passed down through the ages. And, until time travel is invented, it will forever be a matter of debate for historians. So, was Dr James Barry a transgender man? Or a woman in disguise pursuing a forbidden career? Only he could answer that question. At the time, the University of Edinburgh where he studied did not admit women. It’s also difficult to say whether a historical figure would have identified with the language and terminology we use today.įor example, Dr James Barry was a military surgeon who, after his death 1865, was discovered to have a woman’s body and possibly have been pregnant previously.

The prejudice and persecution experienced by people who don’t conform to the dominant cis-heteronormative, patriarchal culture sometimes makes it difficult to identify transgender historical figures. These people have been identified in many ways throughout history, such as ‘eunuch,’ ‘hermaphrodite,’ ‘third gender,’ or ‘two spirit,’ with some terms seen as offensive nowadays, and others still in use in various cultures around the world. While the term ‘transgender’ is relatively modern still, people who don’t fit neatly into the binary sexes, don’t identify with their gender assigned at birth, have fluid gender and identity, or are otherwise genderqueer have always existed. For the mythological characters, this article will use the pronouns used in the translations.

Content warning: this article contains mention of genitalia, homophobia, transphobia, forced sex change, outdated terminology that may be considered slurs, and sexual violence.

Articles on Lesbian History, Including by Hephaestus Books