Long before the word “transgender” existed, the Gallae lived, worshipped, and were buried as women.
This journal brings together three essays from We Have Always Existed, exploring the Gallae. They’re the transgender priestesses devoted to the goddess Kybele, active across the Roman Empire for centuries.
Inside, you’ll find:
Kybele and the Gallae. We’ll trace the origin of Kybele’s cult from Phrygia to Rome, and what ancient writers said about the priestesses who served her.
The Rituals of the Gallae. You’ll explore the sacred practices, public performances, and daily lives of the Gallae within Roman religious life, and how they were both celebrated and vilified for their gender.
Exploring the Remains of a Galla Priestess. You’ll discover the real archaeological evidence of a 4th-century grave of a Galla priestess uncovered at Cataractonium in Roman Britain.
You’ll also find some new information not covered anywhere else in We Have Always Existed.
Written with academic rigor and real citations, but without the dry inaccessibility of a textbook, this journal is for anyone interested in understanding that trans people have always existed, all the way back to ancient Rome.
Someone told me at this point that I shouldn’t call these things zines anymore, so now it’s a journal.
