A Classical F.T.M.

by A. Matzner from the F.T.M.Newsletter, U.S.A.

(The Gender Centre advise that this article may not be current and as such certain content, including but not limited to persons, contact details and dates may not apply. Where legal authority or medical related matters are cited, responsibility lies with the reader to obtain the most current relevant legal authority and/or medical publication.)

Is there such a thing as a "history of F.T.M. Transsexuality"? And if so, how far back does it go? Some people think that only with the development of surgical techniques did the "transsexual" come into being. But if one studies accounts of F.T.M. transgendered people through the ages, it seems likely that some probably would have taken advantage of hormone and/or surgery, had these options existed.

I love reading about ancient Greece and Rome - they were incredibly cosmopolitan societies that remind me a lot of today's world. These complex cultures also had their fair share of sexual minorities; Gays, Lesbians, Cross-Dressers. I wondered if people who we'd consider F.T.M.s were around back then - is the feeling that you were born into the wrong body something that can occur in any culture, at any time? To me the answer seems obvious - sure, why not? Yet there are scholars that insist that the "homosexual" is a nineteenth century invention and that only the "patriarchal medical establishment" could have created a transsexual. So I begin reading classical literature to see if I could discover anyone 2000 years ago who felt some of the same things that some of us are feeling today.

Lucian, second century Syrian Novelist, Rhetorician.

And this is what I found: a male writer named Lucian who lived near Syria in the second century C.E. wrote in ancient Greek a series of dialogues between female prostitutes. It is not known whether these mini plays were completely made up by Lucian or if they were based on women he had known or heard stories about. At any rate, in Dialogue Five in the work "The Dialogue of the Courtesans" the following scenario unfolds: One courtesan (Clonarium) is asking her friend (Leaena) about the rumour that Leaena is living with another woman (Megilla) as her lover. Leaena replies that it is true and proceeds to describe how this came about. Megilla and another woman, Demonassa, had given a drinking party to which leaena had been invited to provide musical entertainment. After the party was over, Megilla asked Leaena to get into bed with her and Demonassa. Leaena did this, and soon found herself being kissed and caressed by her two hostesses. Although Leaena didn't object, she did get a shock when a few moments later Megilla pulled off what turned out to be a wig to review the hyper-masculine crew cut of a male athlete, stated that her name was "Megillus" (the male version of Megilla) and proclaimed that she was married to Demonassa, who was her "wife".

At this point Leaena is confused and thinks that Megilla is really a man. She asks Megilla if she has a penis, to which she replies that she does not need one, for she uses a better method. As Leaena continues to be bewildered, Megilla further claims that she is "all man" and states "I was born a woman like the rest of you, but I have the mind and desires and everything else of a man. Leaena then asks if those "desires" are sufficient, since she does not have a penis. But Megilla is quick to reassure Leaena and argues, "you'll find me as good as any man - I have a substitute of my own, just give me a chance and you will see".

Leaena ends up accepting Megilla as her lover and moving in with her, and the little vignette ends.

Some scholars have looked at this dialogue and viewed it as a condemnation of lesbianism and a caricature of masculine women. On the other hand, after carefully studying the dialogues vocabulary and structure, I feel that, while we will never know whether these courtesans were completely made up or based on real people and events, the author, Lucian, has characterized a woman, Megilla, who is very aware of "how her male energy dominates her psyche, and is brave enough to act on her feelings. Megilla is a strong and dangerous figure who has usurped male power prerogatives. After all, the resolution of the dialogue presents no negative outcome for this gender law-breaking woman - unlike the tales of the Amazons, in which those feminist heroines always end up being subdues and raped by men.

For me it was refreshing to meet so far in the distant past, a woman who perceived her gender to be at odds with her biological sex, was articulate about expressing her feelings, and managed to cope successfully in the only way an F.T.M. two thousand years ago knew how.

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