Not a Fad: A Trans History Lesson

Chapter 7: Fatherhood

An ironic challenge that several transgender/cross-dressing saints had to face, especially given that many of these AFAB people escaped marriage by dressing as men, was that as monks they were implicated as the father of a bastard child or accused of rape.

There is a Latin version of the life of Saint Pelagia found in the BHL where Pelagius is exiled from his monastic community because he is accused of seducing a local girl, and that is why he lived his life as a desert recluse (Hotchkiss 137).

One of the most well-known narratives portraying the accusation of a female monk as the father of a bastard child is the experience of 5th century Saint Mary/Marinos. The life of Marinos is different because they began their life as a male while still in their youth. Marinos's mother died when they were a child and their father decided to enter into the service of the church. The wording is vague, but it seems that their father waited until his child would have been old enough to take care of themselves before he decided to enter a monastery. In one exchange of dialogue it says, "When the young girl grew up the father said to her ... The young girl replied" (Talbot 7).

However, regardless of their age, Marinos insisted that they follow their father by also joining the male order. The two then entered the monastery as father and son.

Marinos was respected by their peers as a devout ascetic who was known for having the ability to heal those troubled by demons, and they remained in the monastery even after their father had passed away.

Because of their healing capabilities, Marinos was occasionally sent to help people outside of the community, and on those trips the monks would stay at an inn. The daughter of the local innkeeper was having an affair with a soldier, and when she found herself pregnant, she accused Marinos of being the father of her child. The innkeeper believed his daughter and informed the superior of the scandal.

When Marinos heard the accusations they replied, "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned as a man" (Talbot 9). They were thrown out of the monastery and ordered to raise the child. For three years, Marinos sat outside the walls of the order, all the while caring for the child as if they were his father.

Eventually the monks entreated the superior to forgive Marinos and to let them and their son return to the monastery. While they were allowed to return, they were required to perform all the lowliest of tasks; the child was raised in the teachings of the Lord. Marinos lived in this manner until the day they died and their female sex was only discovered when their body was being prepared for burial. Everyone was shocked to discover the injustice that Marinos had endured. The fact that Marinos had suffered in silence was a tribute to their strong will; their asceticism had allowed them to truly transcend their female inferiority.

So why were these stories popular? It could be because women were seen as being easily caught in sexual scandals due to their lower level of self-control. In fact, there were also tales of female-bodied monks finding themselves in sexual situations with men, but these stories were all written in the later Middle Ages. More likely, as many scholars have pointed out, during Late Antiquity there are several examples of male monks being falsely accused of seduction or rape. Stories accusing female monks of fathering children may simply reflect a larger concern over monastic chastity; in these cases the innocence of the female-monk is easy enough to prove.

The majority of the female monks who are accused of seduction or rape do reveal their true sex in order to be cleared of charges. In the 6th century, Apollonaria clandestinely joined a monastery under the name of Dorotheus while on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. When they were accused of impregnating their sister (who was unaware of the monk's true identity) they secretly revealed their true sex to the Emperor, who cleared them of all charges. They were able to return to the monastery without any of their brothers discovering what had happened, and they lived out their life as a man.

In the fourth century, Susanna runs away from home at fifteen to join a monastery under the name John. When they reject a woman's sexual advances, the woman accuses them of rape. John is brought before the abbot, to whom they ask for forgiveness. Assuming that John is guilty, the abbot orders them to be stripped. Panicked, John confesses their true sex. They are no longer allowed to stay in the monastery, but they continue to live a religious life until dying as a martyr.

Another example of a female cross-dresser accused of impregnating a local woman is Eugenia, although unlike the aforementioned examples, Eugenia publicly reveals her innocence. Raised as the pagan daughter of a Roman prefect in the city of Alexandria, Eugenia was converted to Christianity after reading the acts of Paul. At several points during her life she is paralleled to Thecla, who also converted in response to Paul's teachings. Similar to Thecla, when Eugenia converted to Christianity she had to escape from her family, and believed that a monastery offered the best refuge. A convent would be too obvious a place for her family to search for her.

While Eugenia was living as a monk, a local woman began to sexually pursue her, and like the tale of Susanna/John, when Eugenia rejected the woman's advances, the woman accused the monk of rape. The scandal was brought to court, and after being publicly accused of a crime she did not commit, Eugenia ripped open her shirt to reveal her breasts, therefore confirming her own innocence. Eugenia's father was the judge of this trial, and after her revelation she was reunited with her family. Her parents and brother were so inspired that they all converted to Christianity. Eugenia's father and brother were soon martyred, and she and her mother also died as martyrs, although several years later in Rome.

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Author's Note:

Were there any facts that you learned and found interesting?

Was there anything in this chapter that you found confusing? Or do you have any followup questions?

Thanks,
- Brian