Transgender Priestesses

In the various temples of the ancient world, both men and women served as clergy. In addition, a small but significant number of transgender persons also served, especially in the Goddess religions... and the temples of Cybele were certainly very well-known for this.

As we know, transgender people exibit a mismatch between their physical and psychological gender. This may be the result of a rare variation in human genetics. Although our ancestors knew nothing about the scientific causes of the phenomena, they instinctively realized that it was best to allow people to live their lives in the gender-role in which they feel most comfortable.

Over time, it became apparent that transgender people often possesed some valuable talents and abilities. For example, they generally seem to have a high intelligence and psychic sensitivity. Consequently, they came to be regarded as gifts from the Goddess, and frequently held respected and honored positions in society. This was also true in many Native American cultures, where transgender people were referred to as "Two Spirits", and commonly functioned as teachers, healers and Shamans.

When the Christians took over, they sought to discredit the practices of the older religions. Because many of the Goddess temples contained transgender clergy, they created the myth that transgenderism was unnatural and evil, and that transgender people were promiscuous, prostitutes, beggars, etc. This provided an excuse for their extermination... and not suprisingly, many of these unfounded accusations still continue to cause serious problems for gender-variant people today.

In addition, some historians have confused eunuchs with transgender people. A eunuch is a masculine man who has simply been castrated. On the other hand, the transgender Priestesses of Cybele (and other Goddess religions) clearly were not eunuchs. They wore women's clothing, jewelry and perfume, styled their hair, used female names, and lived as women in every way possible. Some of them were voluntarily castrated, but many were not.

In general, historians seem to have a very poor understanding of transgender Priestesses, for several reasons. First, they have absolutely no experience with the matter... and second, they appear to be very uncomfortable with the concept, and try to quickly dismiss it as the result of mental illness, or an act of excessive religious fervor. Fortunately, recent work by many doctors and psychologists has significantly improved our understanding of transgender people, and enabled us to gain some excellent new insights into the customs of the ancient world.