A Comm for Historymemes

Literally the first books the NAZIs burned.

1. Elagabalus (c. 204–222 CE, Roman Empire)

Roman emperor who reportedly preferred to be called a woman and requested surgery to transition.

Ancient sources like Cassius Dio describe Elagabalus as dressing in women's clothing and seeking gender-affirming treatment.

2. The Hijra of South Asia (Ancient to Present)

A recognized third gender in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal for thousands of years.

Hijras often undergo ritual castration and live in communities with spiritual and cultural roles.

They are mentioned in ancient Hindu texts like the Kama Sutra.

3. Two-Spirit People (Pre-colonial Indigenous North America)

Indigenous cultures across North America recognized people who embodied both masculine and feminine traits.

The term “Two-Spirit” is modern, but many tribes had their own terms and roles, often spiritual or societal.

4. Chevalier d'Éon (1728–1810, France)

A French diplomat and soldier who lived publicly as a woman for the last 33 years of their life.

Possibly one of the first Western Europeans to openly live a trans or gender non-conforming identity in elite society.

19th to Early 20th Century

5. We’wha (1849–1896, Zuni Nation, U.S.)

A Zuni lhamana (a traditional third gender role among the Zuni people).

Lived as a woman and was a respected cultural ambassador to Washington, D.C. in 1886.

6. Albert Cashier (1843–1915, United States)

Irish-born Union soldier who lived as a man and fought in the U.S. Civil War.

Continued to live as a man until being outed late in life.

7. Magnus Hirschfeld (1868–1935, Germany)

Not trans himself, but a key figure in early transgender advocacy.

Founded the Institute for Sexual Research in Berlin, where some of the first gender-affirming surgeries were performed.

Advocated for what we now consider transgender rights.

Mid to Late 20th Century

8. Christine Jorgensen (1926–1989, United States)

The first American widely known for undergoing gender-affirming surgery (in Denmark, 1952).

Her transition sparked national media coverage and brought trans issues into public consciousness.

9. Marsha P. Johnson (1945–1992, United States)

A Black trans activist and key figure in the Stonewall uprising of 1969.

Co-founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) with Sylvia Rivera.

10. Sylvia Rivera (1951–2002, United States)

Latina-American trans activist, involved in early LGBTQ+ rights struggles.

Advocated especially for poor and trans people of color, often left out of mainstream gay rights movements.

Trans Histories in Non-Western Cultures

11. Fa'afafine (Samoa)

A traditional third gender recognized in Samoan society.

Fa'afafine are assigned male at birth but take on female gender roles and expressions.

12. Kathoey (Thailand)

Often referred to as “ladyboys” in the West (a term not always respectful).

Have been part of Thai society historically, though modern visibility varies in acceptance.

Explanation: Of course, in reality, while transgender is a modern category, phenomena which we would regard, in the modern day, as fitting into this category are widespread throughout recorded history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transgender_history

There is actually a pretty good history of trans people, though? Like there were a lot of them. Androgyny dates back to the ancient era, perhaps near the start of recorded history.

It's not our fault conservatives can't read between the lines in cuneiform.

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