Not a Fad: A Trans History Lesson

Chapter 3: Roman Satire (1st & 2nd Century) MATURE MATERIAL

Chapter 3: Roman Satire

The Romans invented satire. These stories provided both vulgar humorous entertainment and a biting critique of current social issues.

When examining literature as a historical source, the author's biases need to be closely examined. This is especially true in satires. Reading Roman satire as a historical source might be compared to reading the Onion newspaper to learn about American politics. Reading either requires a healthy dose of skepticism.

Masculine women was a popular topic in Roman satire. In fact, several of the stories describe strong women as actually trying to pass as male. Many historians read these satires and conclude that they simply are reflecting the deep misogyny that was rooted in Roman culture. It is true that stories all share a deep distain and distrust of female sexuality and agency. However, might there be more to it?

Having so many stories about AFAB individuals claiming to be truly male could also be evidence of people who today might identify as transgender. Did these characters really exist, or were they simply anecdotal? We cannot know for sure. If these characters are based on actual people, were they strong-willed women attempting to assert their own agency? Or, did they actually suffer from disphoria? Or, based on the physical description of some of these people, were they intersex? The answers to these questions are unknowable. Yet, it seems like this may be a case of where there is smoke there is fire.

Here are some specific examples of masculine women described in satire:

- Written in the second century, Juvenal's sixth satire mocked both male passives and hyper-sexual females. His writing also included stories of women who acted like men, exercised, and gorged themselves with food and wine

- During this same period, Lucian wrote a satire that focused on an individual named Megilla /Megillus, a biological female who presented herself as a man, much to the confusion of the prostitute whom she had hired. The link between masculine-gendered women and sexual perversity is very strong in most examples from Latin literature.

- There are several obscene examples from the first century. In Martial, Epigrams, 1.90, he chastises a woman, Bassa, that her "monstrous clitoris feigns masculinity." Later he writes about an AFAB person named Philaenis who works out with male athletes, lifts weights, drinks to excess, and sexually penetrates both youths and maidens (Epigrams 7.67-70).

- Seneca the Younger also complains about masculine women having the audacity to penetrate boys (Moral Epistles 95.21).

These satires show the distain held for individuals who blurred gender roles. The authors, and likely their audiences as well, found the idea of a person born female presenting themselves as a man equal parts disgusting and absurd. Yet, multiple authors would not have chosen the same topic to highlight unless this was a social phenomenon that was causing concern.

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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