Not a Fad: A Trans History Lesson

Introduction

Nearly twenty years ago when I came out as transgender, some people responded that I was being trendy. Boys Don't Cry had just been out in theaters and they thought I was being influenced by Hollywood and the media.

Within the last few years there has been an incredible increase in coverage of transgender-focused stories by the mainstream media. While this is amazing, I have a feeling that even more transgender youth are being told that they are simply giving in to some new craze that will soon go the way of beanie babies and slap bracelets.

Well, I have an important message: The transgender experience is not a new one. Individuals have been pushing up against and crossing over gender lines across cultures and throughout history.

Unfortunately, LGBTQ history is not regularly taught in schools. It needs to be seeked and sought after, dug for and exhumed.

Ever since middle school I have been fascinated by LGBTQ history. I devoured documentaries and literature on topics like the Stonewall Riots, Harvey Milk, or cross-dressing Civil War soldiers. Learning about those who came before me helped to validate the authenticity of what I felt inside. I had plenty of queer friends, but it was nice to know that I wasn't alone in history either.

In graduate school I earned an MA in medieval and ancient European history. I focused much of my research on AFAB (assigned female at birth) people who lived and passed as men for most of their lives. Although I wouldn't use the modern label of FTM (a Female-To-Male transgender person) on people who lived in another era, it would be accurate to say that they transgressed their expected gender roles. Knowing that there have been people "like me" for thousands of years has always given me a strange sense of comfort.

I want to pass on that feeling of comfort to others out there. You are not a freak. You are part of a long history of people who have been compelled, often risking their own lives, to be seen by the world as a gender different from the biological sex of which they were born.

Trans* history is as diverse and far-reaching as human civilization. This book will cover but a sliver of our global history. The following chapters are edited from my grad school papers and therefore discuss gender nonconformity in early Western civilization during Late Antiquity through the early Middle Ages. The first ten chapters are organized in chronological order. The eleventh chapter focuses on AMAB (assigned male at birth) individuals. Please use the table of contents to find a chapter that piques your interest!

*** a quick note on pronouns... I found it challenging to decide what pronouns to use for people who could not speak for themselves. As a transman I know how important using correct pronouns is! Please comment if you think I used the wrong pronoun or if you want to know my justification for choosing to use a certain pronoun. Thanks!

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Author's Note:

Has anyone else been told that being transgender is a fad? How did you respond?

This book is focusing mostly on medieval Europe. What other historical time periods are you interested in learning about?

Thanks,
- Brian