We Have Always Existed
Transgender Ancient History
To my trans siblings,
There’s a lot of noise out there about us, and most of it isn’t true.
You and I, and our fellow trans siblings know that. Even the quislings among us do. But when they control the narrative, they can say whatever they want about us.
They can use mainstream media to tell everybody that being transgender is a crazy modern thing made up by freedom hating communists or confused young kids all they want, but that’s not going to make it true.
My trans sibling, you and I are the culmination of a rich, glorious transgender tradition, in the Mediterranean and Near East at least, that spans more than ten thousand years.
We’re older than Rome, older than Greece, older than ancient Egypt, older than Persia and Babylon.
We’re older than Islam, older than Christianity, older than Judaism.
We predate the fundamental building blocks of Western civilization.
Before any of it, we were here.
If you’re new to transgender ancient history, this might come as a surprise, and that’s a shame.
You and I, and all our trans siblings, deserve to know about our history.
But nobody has been telling these ancient stories in an organized, accessible way.
At least, not until now.
Welcome. I’m Sophie Edwards, a transgender woman and the host of We Have Always Existed.
We Have Always Existed is a video essay series that explores the histories we have about transgender people in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East, histories cisgender researchers have either briefly glossed over or ignored entirely.
In We Have Always Existed, you’ll discover:
- The Enarei, the Scythian trans feminine priestesses who may have figured out an early form of HRT, 2500 years ago
- Elagabalus, The Roman Emperor who may have been a transgender woman
- What the myths of Hermaphroditus, Akhilles, Teiresias, and many more can tell us about transgender and intersex people in the ancient world
- The Gallae, the trans feminine priestesses of the goddess Kybele, whose origins predate Christianity
- And much, much more
What’s more, you’ll get a better understanding of your place in the human story, which goes back even further than we have history to read.
It might not change what’s happening today, and it might not change the minds of any committed transphobes who don’t seem to care about living in reality. But I hope you’ll walk away from this series feeling empowered.
Below, you’ll find each episode, in reverse order. Other than the intro episode, which outlines my approach to this research, they don’t need to be watched in any particular order.
My trans sibling, you and I are so much more than what the forces of hatred want you to be.
You’re beautiful. You’re wonderful. And you’re more powerful than you realize.
Join me, won’t you?
- The Enarei: Scythian Transgender Priestesses REMASTEREDSo I’ve learned a thing or two about audio and… Read more: The Enarei: Scythian Transgender Priestesses REMASTERED
- Hypsikrates, The Transgender Spouse Of MithradatesGather ‘round, friends. Let me tell you a tale. Mithradates… Read more: Hypsikrates, The Transgender Spouse Of Mithradates
- Uncovering Ancient Transgender Stories In Lucian’s Dialogues Of The CourtesansWe’re doing something a little different today. We’ve looked at… Read more: Uncovering Ancient Transgender Stories In Lucian’s Dialogues Of The Courtesans
- Eunuchs In The Roman World: Everything You Ever Wanted To KnowA while back, I made a short talking about the… Read more: Eunuchs In The Roman World: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know
- WOKE North Hertfordshire Museum TRANSES Roman Emperor Elagabalus???I really wasn’t going to do a video on this.… Read more: WOKE North Hertfordshire Museum TRANSES Roman Emperor Elagabalus???
- Gender Transgression In Early ChristianityRemember the enarei? Today, Catholicism is a monolith of well-established… Read more: Gender Transgression In Early Christianity
- The Scythian Enarei Priestesses: How Did They Become Enarei?Remember the enarei? The transgender priestesses from the Scythian culture… Read more: The Scythian Enarei Priestesses: How Did They Become Enarei?
- Kybele And The GallaeGender is a social construct. So the way we express… Read more: Kybele And The Gallae
- The Myths Of HermaphroditusAs society progresses, gender identities have become more and more… Read more: The Myths Of Hermaphroditus
- Elagabalus, The Transgender Roman EmperorThe story of the Roman Emperor Elagabalus is one of… Read more: Elagabalus, The Transgender Roman Emperor
- The Scythian Enarei PriestessesDid you know there’s credible evidence that a transgender population… Read more: The Scythian Enarei Priestesses
- An Intro To Trans Ancient HistoryIn this first episode of We Have Always Existed ancient… Read more: An Intro To Trans Ancient History